Pot killed the local Kelowna bowling alley, owner says

KELOWNA – After more than 30 years in business, Lake City Bowling and Billiards closed its doors for good earlier this month.

“It was surrounded by grow-ops,” co-owner Ken Moonen told iNFOnews.ca. “It wasn’t a real good fit for family entertainment. It got to the point where the families that did come in said ‘oh my gosh, it smells like marijuana in here.’”

As far as he knows, the grow ops are legal but they started operating about two years ago – before cannabis was legalized – he said.

Moonen, who was in partnership with two other owners, complained to Kelowna City Hall but they did nothing about the shops or the smell, he says.

He doesn’t know the names of the operators but estimates there are five or six sites.

The bowling alley was located in the Blue Heights Industrial site on Highway 97 north of McCurdy Road. It had a serious fire there last fall. Today, most of the buildings are locked with no signage, although a handful of retail businesses do operate there.

Lake City Bowling was opened in 1983 or 84, Moonen said. He’s been a co-owner for 15 years and worked with the previous owner for about five years before that.

While bowling has declined in popularity over the years, he blames the marijuana smell for the ultimate demise of the business, which also hosted a number of billiard leagues and a lounge.

Its closure leaves the Capri Bowling Lanes along with McCurdy Bowling Centre as the two remaining bowling allies in Kelowna, although BNA Brewing Co. & Eatery does offer bowling as well.

Moonen will continue on with his FixIt Mechanical and FixIt Electronics businesses. His other two partners retired.

The business closed quietly with a final party for KF Aerospace, which had been patrons for 15 years. 

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