Fourteen Princess | ? m | 7 fl | Complete

[Spokes]

Waterloo’s only bowling lanes set to close
May 11, 2013 | CTV Kitchener | LINK

The very first pins to be knocked down at Waterloo Bowling Lanes happened back in 1949.  From that moment on, it has played host to countless birthday parties, first dates and late night games.

Many of its faithful customers keep coming back.

Michael Bierstock has been coming to the bowling lanes for almost 50 years and three generations of his family have been throwing birthday parties at Waterloo Lanes.

“I’ve had one of my first birthday parties here.” Bierstock says.

Saturday is the last time that the Bierstock’s will celebrate at the Uptown Waterloo bowling alley because the building is about to be torn down.
After six decades and hundreds of thousands of bowling games played inside the Princess Street West building, it will be torn down to make room for a seven storey luxury apartment building.

But the business will live on.

Long-time employees Tom and Pauline Clayfield are hoping to buy the business and relocate it.

“Pauline and I are looking at putting in a new centre in the north end of Waterloo to try to keep the business running.”  Clayfield says.

They say the bowling alley is as much a part of their lives as it is their customers.
Waterloo Bowling Lanes will close its doors Saturday night.

Last pin falls on Princess Street
May 14, 2013 | Jordan Ercit | Waterloo Chronicle | LINK

“It’s a local tradition, like the Harmony Lunch,” he said.

But that tradition is in jeopardy of disappearing unless the new owners, bar manager Pauline Clayfield and her husband Tom, can find a new home for Waterloo Bowling Lanes.

A year ago, the Roeders were told by property management the building was going to be converted into a multi-use facility, including apartments and a parking lot. It was a decision the Roeders are at peace with because parking at Waterloo Lanes is limited — they have 16 spots, “but our patrons always found a way,” Gerry said — and the roof had its share of patch jobs.

“I don’t blame (Brad Marsland, the property owner) for this,” Gerry said. “I understand why they have to do it.”

So with the lease up at the end of the month, the Roeders, who include chief operators Dave Roeder and his wife Beth, have been helping the Clayfields find a new location, potentially on Conestogo Road near King Street and Northfield Drive in north Waterloo.

Parking and zoning may be an issue and recent restructuring at the City of Waterloo have complicated matters, but Gerry said, “it’s not a showstopper.”