By Susan Elise Campbell
The husband and wife team of Doug and Alison Bohannon, owners of Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center in South Glens Falls, added a second location to their business portfolio with the purchase of Spare Time bowling alley and arcade at 375 Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham.
The Bohannons said they closed the transaction on Nov. 30 for $3.2 million.
“I have been in the bowling business since 1999, starting out as a pin changer and working my way up through management,” he said.
In 2013 the opportunity was presented to purchase the Spare Time lanes in South Glens Falls. The Bohannans re-named the business Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center and in February 2022 was approached by Spare Time Entertainment about purchasing the Latham location.
“This is a company I was employed by for 13 years and who sold us our South Glens Falls alleys 10 years ago, so we are very familiar with each other,” said Bohannon. “Negotiations went pretty quickly.”
The Bohannons changed the name of the center but have no plans to renovate at this time. Neither will there be staff changes among the 30-plus employees.
“There is a great staff here, and the manager, Carol Judge, has been at these lanes for 17 years,” he said. “She is very well known in the area for her bowling knowledge and ability to run an alley.”
He said bowling is very popular right now. “This is true across the country, not just upstate New York where our alleys are located,” he said. The Bohannons want to make the new location in Latham “the destination of choice. We would like patrons to know what we have to offer, and customer service is the number one thing. People have money to spend right now. We want to give them their money’s worth and help them have fun so that they will want to come back.”
Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center is available for parties and corporate events. There is league bowling Monday through Thursday nights and open play on weekends.