Developer says he took on Spin Alley for the kids

By Lynn Steinberg
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Outside school, teenagers find few attractions in these two communities.

That's what persuaded property mogul Harley O'Neil, himself a parent, to open Spin Alley. The bowling center replaces the old Arden Lanes, which went bankrupt in 1996 after more than 30 years in business.

O'Neil contemplated the acquisition for a year.

"It was 11 at night," he recalls, "and I woke up my wife and said, 'I think we should buy the bowling alley.' "

"I don't want to buy the bowling alley," she replied.

He convinced her it would be a worthwhile pursuit, saying teens needed a safe place to hang out and something to do to keep them off the streets.

There was one drawback, however. O'Neil knew virtually nothing about running a bowling alley. So he consulted three teenagers in an entrepreneurial program at Shorewood High School. They told him the place needed cutting-edge technology, bumpers on the 16 lanes and cosmic bowling, with disco lighting and glow-in-the-dark accessories.

He followed their recommendations and ultimately wound up spending $600,000 instead of the $200,000 he had planned.

He put in a food court and plans to open a full service restaurant next door. Then serious bowlers with a hankering for pasta or steak won't have to take a break -- they can have their meal delivered right to the lanes.