Pandemic knocked down bowling centers like mine in Tacoma. Now let us reopen safely

My story is no different from many other business owners in America at this point of history.

As a small business owner, and with the COVID-19 pandemic changing the course of life for everyone in our country, I’ve been able to look back at how bowling has changed my life and my community, and reflect on all that it has done for both over the years.

I first fell in love with bowling in the late 1950s, when I followed my parents to watch them and made a few bucks on the side keeping score for leagues.

When New Frontier Lanes was being built on Center Street in Tacoma, I begged the owner for a job when I was 9. Just before I turned 14, he asked me if I still wanted to work, and 54 years later, I’m still at it. My wife, Nancy, and I bought Chalet Bowl in 1984.

There have been many ups and downs, as our business is very seasonal. We struggle during May through August due to the nice weather, which has sometimes led to us maxing out the credit cards and working like heck for the next eight months to catch up.

My lifetime of experience is how I know that bowling centers are pillars of their communities. Our league guests bowl weekly anywhere from four to 12 months a year; most are here to socialize, for a night out with their friends, or to celebrate birthdays, weddings and more.

Does this tale sound familiar? Bowling centers are no different than a bar, restaurant, etc., and we all serve many purposes: escape and community.

Many of these small business owners go through the opportunities and struggles I experience as well, but bowling has an edge during this coronavirus crisis.

Bowling centers around the country have loaded up with PPE, reconfigured our lanes for social distancing due to the vast amount of space an average center has and safely expanded our methods to sanitize rental shoes and bowling balls.

One of the tidbits that many governors and local health authorities don’t realize is that virtually all our league guests have their own equipment, reducing shared contact significantly.

We are one of the safest places that you can come to for fun during these times when we know people need it the most., but now we can’t reopen until Phase 4 of the governor’s restart plan.

I have been around long enough to have seen three recessions; however, this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic has put a halt on many businesses, many of which have been shuttered since mid-March, including mine.

Some were fortunate to get loans, but the clock is ticking on many. Unfortunately, too many of these businesses in your community will not make it, and experiences that you have an emotional and or physical stake in could disappear

If we do not get open soon, many bowling centers, the fabric of their communities, will become a footnote.

Reggie Frederick is a North End resident and partner at family-owned Chalet Bowl in Tacoma , the oldest operating bowling center in Washington. He’s also a minority partner at Narrows Plaza Bowl in University Place. And he’s a board member of the Washington State Bowling Proprietor’s Association and the Washington Hospitality Association.

This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 2:00 PM.