New owners but respect for past at iconic five pin bowling alley

Ever fancied owning a bowling alley?

For Kevin and Kristina Cheale, it was a sudden opportunity they knew they had to jump on. They recently snapped up Capri Bowling Lanes, which they've re-named Okanagan Bowling Club.

"We've been in real estate for a lot of years, and we were just looking for something else. And I was driving home one day after dropping the kids off at school and noticed a neighbour struggling to bring his garbage can up to the driveway,” Kevin told Big Ginger. “We knew he was the owner of the bowling alley, so I reached out to a mutual friend and asked him to reach out to these owners and ask if they were interested in selling."

Having been immersed in real estate, an industry he described as "embroiled in negativity and animosity", they were drawn to the idea of having a business where patrons would come in happy and leave happier.

“There’s just a lot of anger that comes with real estate, especially when you’re in property management,” Kevin said. “My wife and I have always liked to host, and basically, we're hosting new guests to the bowling alley, we're hosting existing guests. We find it's our chance to entertain just on a grander scale."

With a family of five kids, bowling has been a longstanding tradition for the couple.

"Our oldest is 24, and we've been bringing her here since she was super young, and then just continued with all the other kids,” Kevin said. “We just kind of fell in love with the place. The downstairs location is very similar to a bowling club back in our hometown of Winnipeg."

The couple’s first ever visit to the then Capri Bowling Lanes was in 1996, and subsequent visits have allowed them to witness its evolution over the years.

While they are committed to preserving the nostalgia of the place, they do have plans for some future changes.

"We would like to change the party room at the back of the bowling alley: push back one wall, knock down another wall, just open it up a little bit, having what we call a family-friendly lounge, adding a couple of pool tables, some dart boards, more seating areas," he said.

“We don't want to change a lot; we have a lot of league bowlers here that are accustomed to how things have been going. But we’d like to host more tournaments, we'd like to host more corporate events around Christmas time, we'd like to feel more like a club.”

Their goal is to maintain the essence of the bowling alley while introducing subtle enhancements for a more enjoyable experience.

The duo is focused on promoting the club and expanding its reach, with Kevin lamenting that one of their biggest issues is that only longtime locals know of the spot.

"We just want to get our name out there. We want to make a few changes and continue to grow the sport. And I think by having more tournaments, more events, that'll help," Kevin said.

Check out the video to see Big Ginger’s jaunt through the Okanagan Bowling Club!