THE fate of Mount Gambier’s bowling alley took another unexpected turn yesterday after Monday’s initial auction purchase fell through.
A Mount Gambier man – trading under Blue Lake Bowling Pty Ltd – initially topped the auction with a bid of $57,500, but yesterday morning it was confirmed the new owner had failed to meet the purchase terms.
Mount Gambier couple David Walker and Stewart Owen, owners of the Treehouse Play Cafe, swooped on the business opportunity, having been among the top bidders on Monday afternoon.
Purchasing the children’s entertainment venue only four years ago, the duo are relatively new to the business world, but have lofty ambitions.
Over the past 12 months, Mr Walker and Mr Owen have discussed taking on a new business venture and with the seizure of the bowling alley assets earlier this month, both agreed it was the perfect time to expand.
“We have always had a dream to expand and develop entertainment for children, families and our youth in the region,” Mr Walker said.
“Finding out the bowling alley would be available was just the right push at the right time for us.
“We then began creating an entire business plan with the hope of securing the alley.”
Leaving Monday’s auction disappointed, the businessmen conceded their desire to expand would have to wait.
“When we did not win we just wanted to get rid of what we’d worked on as we thought our dream was over,” Mr Walker said.
“Out of the blue we had a call from our agent yesterday morning stating the original highest bidder could not fulfill the terms and therefore the purchase would fall back on us.
“It was definitely an initial shock but we just sprung into action figuring our what our next step was.”
Tasked with redeveloping the site, Mr Walker said the pair would spend countless hours planning and working on the alley before reopening late next month.
“We are dedicated to bringing the business into the modern era,” he said.
“We want to make it more family friendly, update the lanes and just give it an overall face lift.
“It is going to be a lot of work and we will not have everything complete by our opening date but we will continue work over time to bring it to the forefront of family entertainment.”
The couple has also vowed to continue to support bowling nights for the disabled community in addition to reinstating the bowling league.
“As of yet we have not spoken to anyone regarding the disabled night or the league, but once we have made contact with them we are confident they will go ahead,” Mr Walker said.
The business originally closed due to significant amounts of unpaid rent and poor management, but also a lack of support according to the site’s former owner.
With this in mind, Mr Walker hopes the community will stay true to its word and take full advantage of the facility.
“We will not be able to keep going without everyone getting behind us,” he said.
“There’s been a lot of support shown via social media after it was announced the alley would close, so we hope people will sticke to that and visit us once we are up and running.
“We hope we can bring the best outcome for the town and provide a great facility for everyone.”
