Bowling family buys local center, looks to make it big part of community again

ASHEBORO — Kimberly Freeman didn’t like the state of affairs in the local tenpins community so she bought the bowling lanes.

The former Family Sports Center at 219 NC Hwy. 42 N., Asheboro, reopened Aug. 27 as Strike House of Asheboro.

“I’ve been bowling for seven years,” said Freeman. “I saw (Family Sports Center) slowly losing league bowlers while keeping everyday bowlers. We wanted our lanes and spent a lot of money on equipment. League teams left for High Point and Greensboro.”

Seeing no other recourse, Freeman and her husband Larry Freeman went to Rocky Mount to offer to buy the facility from the owner of Family Sports Center. At first he said it wasn’t for sale but after four hours of negotiating, the 82-year-old decided he was “ready to be done and gave us a price.”

That was in 2023 and it has been a long journey to complete the transition to Strike House of Asheboro. Freeman said they had to find financing with help from a local investor, do environmental studies, complete health inspections, come under building codes for renovations.

Now they’re open seven days a week.

“Our goal is to bring the youth back,” Freeman said. “We want schools to bring back bowling as a sport and we’ll donate time to schools to practice free during their scheduled times. We’ll have reduced rates for practice outside the school’s dates. And we’ll have a free tournament at the end of the season. We’ve partnered with Sandhills Bowling of Pinehurst to alternate tournament years. And the bowling times wouldn’t interfere with other sports.”

School bowling leagues would be scheduled so they wouldn’t conflict with other sports. That would enable athletes in other sports to also bowl.

But Freeman is adamant that “you don’t have to be athletic to bowl, just have the will to come in and get better. And it’s a place to come and keep out of trouble.

“We have athletes with other sports who come in and bowl,” she said. “Some of them are good bowlers. There are scholarships for bowling (in college) and you don’t have to be great, just be good. This is a missed opportunity for youth” since there are bowling scholarships that aren’t being awarded.

Freeman said she thinks the COVID-19 pandemic, when students were staying at home, “hurt kids’ social skills. Kids come in here and really blossom.”

One of Freeman’s children — Daniel Brandon, who is 18 — just finished high school and has entered the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association). He’ll start his professional career in October at a tournament in Raleigh.

Connor Pickford, a PBA veteran, will run the pro shop at Strike House, spending five days a week at the facility. He’ll sell bowling equipment, repair balls and give pointers to bowlers. He starts at the end of September.

“We bought this place to make sure it’s here for the next 20 years,” Freeman said. “We want to make it better, friendly. We bought a $60,000 oil machine and oil the lanes every day.”

That’s important since oiled lanes help protect bowling balls from damage, she said.

In addition to bowling, Strike House will have a full bar and a small-scale restaurant, five regulation billiard tables, an arcade that’s being revamped, and plans for a golf simulator. Plus, the miniature golf course out front offers an alternative to bowling.

The 32 lanes for bowling won’t be affected by renovations, she said. “We’re staying open during the remodel. This will be run by actual bowlers. We know the potential problems and how to fix them.

“We’ve lowered prices for games and shoes to what families can afford so they can have extra for food.”

Freeman said they have “about 20 employees,” including Mike Bennett, the head mechanic and maintenance man with 25 years at the lanes.

In the future, Freeman said, they hope to have live bands and other activities. They’ll have a classic car show in the parking lot on Sept. 19.

Strike House’s hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Sundays from 1 to 10 p.m.

“The hours may change depending on needs,” Freeman said. “We’re new owners and we’re trying to go by what people want. It’s not an easy transition and has been very challenging. They say Rome wasn’t built in a day so it will take us some time.