Bowlers Journal International - January 2008 - (Page 112) STRIKESME BY BOB JOHNSON BOWLING IN SAN FRANCISCO: R.I.P. The 'City by the Bay,' population 750,000, is home to just 24 lanes. And that number could soon be cut in half. Is there a solution? SAN FRANCISCO IS ONE OF THE MOST MUSEUM-RICH CITIES IN AMERICA. Some are devoted to art (Museum of Modern Art, Fine Arts Museum, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum). Some deal with science and nature (Morrison Planetarium, California Natural History Museum, the kid-friendly Exploratorium). Still others have carved out unique, hard-to-classify niches (Cable Car Barn Museum, Treasure Island Museum, Musee Mechanique — home to mechanically operated musical instruments and antique arcade machines). I love museums, probably because curiosity is an important trait of a journalist. That said, I'd gladly trade a couple of museums in the "City by the Bay" for a few more bowling centers. Reason: At present, there are more museums in San Francisco than there are bowling lanes. Yes, you read that correctly. At the beginning of 2008, the city is home to just 24 lanes — that's lanes, not centers — housed in a pair of 12-lane facilities. But that could change if either project being proposed for Presidio National Park were to gain approval from Presidio trustees. One plan calls for construction of an art museum. The other would make way for a history museum. Either would result in the demolition of the Presidio's bowling center — and trim the number of lanes in the city of nearly 750,000 to a mere 12. On one hand, what proprietor wouldn't love a resident-to-lane ratio of 62,500to-1? On the other hand, waiting for a lane to open up could become pretty frustrating for even a casual bowler. Given the cost of land and the cost of living in San Francisco, there are no easy answers. Right now, the going rate at the Presidio bowling center is $5.50 per game. The center's owner says he looked at the financials of constructing another bowl in the city, and it just doesn't work. He said one would have to charge — and the public would have to be willing to pay — upwards of $20 per game. That would be a tough sell even for today's chic "bowling lounges." What's the answer? Well, obviously, there is no easy solution. However, Bay Area bowling entrepreneurs might want to take a look at the most populated city in the world — Tokyo — for inspiration. There, although well past its "boom" days, bowling continues to be a viable and profitable business, even though land prices and commercial lease rates are through the roof. Furthermore, the game remains among the more affordable recreational pursuits in the country. So, how do the Japanese proprietors do it? By thinking "vertically." Stand-alone bowling centers are pretty much unheard-of. (Come to think of it, stand-alone anythings are rare in Tokyo.) Instead, a center typically takes up a floor or two of a multi-floor building. Tokyo Port Bowl, which hosted the Japan Cup for years, is on the seventh floor of a (mostly) office building. The bowling center that now welcomes the tournament takes up parts of two floors of the mammoth Shinagawa Prince hotel and shopping complex. Yes, "building up" is expensive, but the bowling proprietors in Tokyo have found a way to make it work. Could the same business model work in San Francisco, a city that leans more toward mid-rise than high-rise construction because of the frequent earthquakes in the region? Well, if not, it's San Andreas' fault. 112 bowlers journal international JANUARY 2008 http://techlineproducts.com http://techlineproducts.com
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