Dedicated bowlers buy Frederick Lanes, saving Kitchener alley from closure

Two people are making the switch from bowlers to business owners to keep a beloved place open. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte reports.

What appeared to be the final frame for a longtime Kitchener bowling alley ended up as an unlikely comeback story.

Frederick Lanes, formerly known as AMF Frederick Lanes, is set to reopen after two of its dedicated customers purchased the business, preventing a closure that many local bowlers feared might be permanent.

In late April, the alley’s U.S.-based parent company announced plans to shut down the business, with operations ending in May. The news sparked disappointment in the local bowling community, and a petition was launched to save the beloved venue.

“We were given so little notice. It just did not feel good,” said new co-owner Kassandra Ahlin. “A shared sentiment within the bowling community was that it was devastating.”

Ahlin and fellow co-owner Mason Tikl are regular bowlers who frequently visited the facility. As concern grew about the alley’s future, the pair decided to take action.

“For Kassandra and I, it was like this motivational rage,” Tikl said.

“It was like an injustice,” Ahlin added.

The pair negotiated a deal to purchase the business and are now working to bring the alley back to life.

“Frederick Lanes is coming back and we’re super excited,” Tikl said.

Many local bowlers had expressed concern about the future of the sport in Waterloo Region. Towne Bowl, another longtime bowling business in Kitchener, closed in 2023, reducing options for league bowlers and recreational players alike.

The new owners said they wanted Frederick Lanes to remain accessible and affordable for families and community groups.

“We’re hoping to keep it quite affordable and really consider the cost that it would be for a family of so many to come in,” Ahlin said.

While renovations and preparations are still underway, the owners are hoping to be back in business this summer.

“We want to be open hopefully mid-July,” said Tikl.

The transition from bowlers to owners has come with a steep learning curve, Tikl said, noting that many former employees have been instrumental in helping the pair.

“There are so many things in this facility that are way above my pay grade,” he said. “Everyone who was working here before this whole thing happened, each of them knows way more than I do about everything that goes on here. And so many of them I’m hiring back.”

For Ahlin and Tikl, saving Frederick Lanes was about more than preserving a building. They said it was about protecting a gathering place from ending up in the gutter.