Bowling on the Brink as Construction Continues Inside The Alley

Let’s begin with the answer to one of the most asked questions in Bellevue since last October, when it was revealed that the former Leopard Lanes bowling alley had been purchased by Steve Kucirek – who had big plans to both renovate and innovate the existing location. Demolition and renovation are coming along quicker than expected. Kucirek is very hopeful that The Alley will be ready for bowling by the end of May or the beginning of June. They will begin taking applications soon and, when everything is fully up and running, they envision 30-40 people working at The Alley.

Kucirek is not a professional bowler, but he has bowled throughout his life. He grew up in Millard and after graduating high school, he served in the US Navy for over ten years. Kucirek was a nuclear electrician and worked on nuclear reactors on aircraft carriers and submarine platforms. After completing his service in the Navy, Kucirek attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he earned a Master’s degree in finance. While enrolled at UNL, he started working for West Gate Bank in Lincoln, and that eventually led him to Bellevue, where he is the Residential Mortgage Loan Officer for the West Gate Bank branch near 10th and Cornhusker.

Kucirek took some time to discuss the future of the former Leopard Lanes, now called The Alley – including the new look, all brand new equipment, the private bowling area, Frank’s Pizza, party rooms, axe-throwing, an arcade, and other amenities.

Kucirek said they had a lot of good fortune in finding equipment needed to renovate the alleys. “We actually have been able to find a lot of things online. There is a facility out west, a couple of hours away. They are replacing their pin setters and we are purchasing 16 pin setters from them. We are also working with QubicaAMF and they are replacing all of the bowling furniture, the balls, the pins, and the shoes. They are a really top-quality manufacturer in the bowling world and when they are done we will have all 32 lanes up and running.”

The first eight lanes will be set up for private bowling. Kucirek described what the area will look like when completed, “They will be separated by a really heavy, not-quite-soundproof, Broadway-style curtain. Groups wanting to book the private lanes will find upgraded amenities, their own private bar, private bathroom, and private entrance. This private area will also have a dedicated hallway to the axe-throwing area. So, for example, if you have a really big group of people and some want to bowl and some want to throw axes, you can do both.”

While lanes 9-32 will be designated for public bowling, if The Alley has an event, or certain bowling leagues that require all 32 lanes, the curtain can easily be retracted for groups to utilize all of the lanes.

One of the amenities that The Alley will be offering is the ability to order food and drinks directly from the kitchen without having to leave your station. Kucirek said, “One of things we wanted to focus on was convenience.  Our staff will have the capacity to deliver food and drinks to your lane. You will still have the option to come up and order, but our guests can also order directly from their bowling kiosk at the lane without interrupting their game, or worrying about who is going to watch the kids.”

As far as food goes, The Alley will be offering some of the best pizza in the area. The bar is getting completely renovated and all of the freezers, grills, soda machines, refrigerators, etc will all be brand new. “We are very excited to have Frank’s Pizza coming in. His food is excellent and he is very passionate about what he does. We will have a few TVs in the dining area plus some tables and chairs – so it will be a social area will people can come and sit if they don’t want to bowl or they want to get away from m the noise of bowling. They can sit here and relax and order food & drinks.”

Frank’s Pizza will have its own entrance as well – so If people just want to stop and have a pizza without bowling, Frank’s can take care of them. They are expecting to see a lot of people come in during the lunch hour and for dinner.

As far as axe-throwing goes, Kucirek said they will have eight axe-throwing lanes, but they may not get phased in right away, “Plans and permits may take awhile. The goal is to have it installed within the first twelve months. A lot of people are asking for it.  What’s even more exciting is that the axe-throwing will come with various games – Tic Tac Toe, Zombies, Battleship.  I cannot wait to try those axe-throwing games out for myself!”

There are also plans to have an arcade in the area the pro shop used to occupy. Plans call for 30 or 40 various arcade machines, games, cranes, etc. Two party rooms will also be close to the arcade. One party room will be slightly larger than the other and offer some audio/visual equipment for networking groups and corporate groups. The two party rooms can also be combined into one for larger groups and parties.

Kucirek also mentioned that one of the first meetings he had was with the bowling coaches from Bellevue Public Schools. “We are coordinating with BPS. We had a couple of great meetings with the coaches of their bowling teams. It’s an honor for us to host the Bellevue students as we are excited to offer them a space to practice and play right here in town.”

Kucirek went on to talk about Bellevue and what drove him to make such a large investment, “I bought the building, not just because of bowling – but this is all community service, customer service. I believe in this project, I believe in Bellevue, and investing in Bellevue – and that is why I did this. Everytime I get downtrodden or lose a little motivation, I get another eMail asking when we are going to open, or someone sharing their memories with me. A friend reached out to me and said she had photos of bowling here when she was young. Then she got married and brought her kids here and she has photos of her with her kids… and grandkids. Now she has great-grandkids and she told me once we open, she wants to come in and take that photo of four generations of family bowling here. And when you hear that, you know you are doing something right.”

Often throughout our discussion, Kucirek mentioned ‘affordable family entertainment‘.

“Two of our biggest priorities are to reinvest in Bellevue and bring more family entertainment options to Bellevue – but also to make family entertainment affordable. It should not cost $100 an hour for a family to bowl. We hope people will agree we are reasonably priced, because that is what we’re going for.”