Bowling alleys allowed to reopen in Ohio this week; some choose to stay closed

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Two months after bowling alleys were ordered closed, the state said they can reopen this week.

The Regional General Manager of The Corner Alley on East Fourth Street said their bowling alley will be up and running again on Friday.

“We’ve had a people call for the past few weeks wondering when we will open, so we expect to get some business when we open. Hopefully, everything goes very well," Austin Gatto said.

You can’t make a reservation for bowling. The staff only takes walk-ins.

The staff is making sure they are sanitizing each bowling ball and borrowed pair of shoes immediately after use.

They will also be limiting the amount of people in the bowling area.

Regional Sales Manager Molly McCarthy said the business has remained stable because of to-go orders and having the bar now open.

“We’ve been strong at the bar. We didn’t want to have anybody congregating over there, so we have that spaced out very well," McCarthy said.

The staff said they are excited for this weekend’s bowling crowds.

“We will be here for as long as we can. We are ready to roll. We hope you are too and once you are ready to roll. We’re here to roll with you," McCarthy added.

Guests are not required to wear masks and gloves, but employees will provide them to you if that makes you more comfortable.

“Cleveland, we’re such a strong knit community. We all lean on each other we have such a strong heart," said McCarthy.

Some lanes remain closed, however.

Bay Lanes Bowling in Bay Village will remain closed indefinitely.

Fairview Lanes in Fairview Park remains closed without a reopening date. They said they are concerned because with the 6 foot spacing, they would be limited to half the lanes that are usually available. If they are only at 50% capacity, they said they cannot pay their bills.

Buckeye Lanes in North Olmsted remains closed and is expected to reopen in mid-June, but a date hasn’t been announced yet. They said they are taking many measures needed to resume operations in a safe and effective manner.

Mahall’s 20 Lanes in Lakewood isn’t reopening just yet, either.

It’s best to call ahead to see if a bowling alley has reopened before going.

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