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Several factors contributed to the decline of bowling alleys:
- HIGH TECH: With the rise of the high-tech industry, especially in the Bay Area, the economy changed along with it. This gave rise to a new concept in the work weak called “flex hours.” This took a gradual toll on league competition since many former participants no longer worked the traditional 8 – 5, Monday through Friday hours.
- VIDEO GAMES: With the rise of video games as a form of entertainment, Companies such as Electronic Arts, Nintendo, and Sega became hugely successful. Some traditional brands also jumped on the bandwagon, such as Sony and Microsoft. Today, the video game industry is valued at nearly $100 billion in the US alone.
- AMUSEMENT PARKS: This industry has shown steady growth over the years. Today the amusement park market exceeds $20 billion annually, with almost 650 in existence in the United States.
- REAL ESTATE: Most bowling alleys are in large buildings and are generally accompanied by sizeable parking lots. Thus, they occupy typically fairly large parcels of real estate. Property owners have been able to cash in when developers came knocking on their door with offers that were too good to pass up.
- Other factors include the rising cost of doing business, along with the impact of COVID–19.
The good news is the industry has not completely collapsed. If you want to go bowling, take a look around, and you’ll find some that still exist. However, be prepared to pay today’s prices, which, like every other industry, have gone up.
Everything else is just history
