DETROIT (WXYZ) — Garden Bowl on Woodward Avenue in Detroit is celebrating a pair of milestones — 113 years as the longest continually operating bowling alley in the country and 80 years of ownership under the Zainea family.
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First opened in 1913 by John Bauer and Irv Giese, the venue quickly became a gathering place for Detroiters.
"It was like an old man's country club for the working folk," co-owner David Zainea said.
In 1946, Zainea's grandfather Albert purchased the bowling alley under circumstances that were anything but ordinary.
"He was playing poker and a group of business men said hey this bowling is up for sale, you should go discuss it and try to buy it, it's a good opportunity, so he did," Zainea said.
The business has since been passed down three generations, cementing its status as the oldest continuously running bowling alley in the United States.
Beyond the lanes, entertainment venues like the Magic Stick on the second floor have kept guests coming back for years.
"I've come since being a teenager; I've bowled here, but I've seen some crazy shows up top," Brooke Williams, who frequents Garden Bowl, said.
To mark 80 years of family ownership, Garden Bowl is hosting special events throughout the week. The business is also donating 4 free lanes to 80 different nonprofits over the coming year, which can be used for fundraising.
"It's important; I have a responsibility to do it. I mean, they've been giving back to us," Zainea said.
Organizations say the opportunity is a significant one.
"To fundraise at a historic venue like this, it's going to draw people; it's going to be a tremendous game changer for us," John Page, program director of First Tee of Greater Detroit, said.
"I think it's an example; I'm hopeful other businesses have that 'Yeah, we should do the same thing'. Because we need it," Yolanda Jack of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History said.
When asked about the secret to 80 years of success, Zainea pointed to his employees.
"They're the ones who make it work, with their energy," Zainea said.
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