Sequim Olympic Lanes, 710 E. Washington, closes its doors this weekend.
Manager Mike Elkhart said he’ll be opening the bowling alley up one last time this weekend until 10 p.m. Friday, June 6, noon-10 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, and 1 p.m.-10 p.m. on Sunday, June 8.
The business will open for a scheduled event with Sequim Middle School on Monday, but its last public bowling events are this weekend.
“It’s really sad,” Elkhart, who has been managing it for eight years, said. “Once this bowling alley leaves, I don’t think Sequim will see another bowling alley.”
Vern Elkhart, owner of the business, said there just wasn’t enough money coming in.
“We make it in the winter time but there’s just not enough business in the summer,” he said. “We’ve been working at (improving business) quite awhile. Mike’s been working his butt off.”
Vern Elkhart said property owner Karl Allen asked them to leave the property.
“He wants his rent and I can’t blame him,” Vern Elkhart said. “We just weren’t able to keep up with it.”
Allen, who bought the property in 2007, put the 6,000-square-foot building up for sale in August 2013 but he hasn’t had any interest from buyers.
Allen said he hasn’t received rent from Vern Elkhart in “quite some time.”
“As a bowling alley, it’s not going to do me any good,” Allen said. “I have a better chance of leasing it out as one big building. As a 6,000-square-foot building, it’d have a good chance of selling.”
The property is listed for $299,000, Allen said, but he’s open to leasing again.
“I bought it for the community,” Allen said. “I think it’s a shame for the community. It’s another (commercial) vacancy. That’s unfortunate for our town.”
Vern Elkhart said once it closes they’ll begin taking out the bowling items and he’s open to offers for items from the bowling lanes to the candy machine.
For more information about the bowling alley, call 683-3500.
Read more in the June 11 Sequim Gazette about the alley and its impact on the community.
Read the Gazette’s previous story on the sale here.
