Bowling center getting overhaul under new management

Waccamaw Bowling Center is getting its first major overhaul in more than 20 years with new management at the helm.

The center, at 101 Gray Drive in Myrtle Beach off U.S. 501 across from Fantasy Harbour, is back in the hands of the Zavakos family, who plan to spend between $350,000 and $400,000 sprucing up the more than 30-year-old property with everything from new lanes to more outside lighting.

“I’m very jazzed about the opportunities for the center. It’s given a lot of love over the years, and now it needs to be given some love back with these renovations,” said Ted Zavakos, the current proprietor and general manager.

Zavakos took over the business on Nov. 1, but the family’s ties to the bowling center date back even further. The family owned it in the 1990s, but sold it to Larry Nowak in the late 1990s. Nowak had been running it since; he sold the center back to the Zavakos family during the recession, but leased the property and continued running it until giving up the lease Nov. 1, Zavakos said.

Zavakos said his goal is to keep it a “classic bowling center” but with a more modern look, and have a “wholesome” environment where families feel comfortable.

Some of the work, including painting and installing lights in the parking lots, already has begun. More upgrades are on the way, including installing a synthetic overlay on the center’s classic wooden lanes, improving restrooms, adding new menu items at the snack bar and putting in new technology for the scoreboards.

“We’re really going to appreciate and enjoy all the upgrades,” said Debby Kicklighter, who has bowled at the center for 24 years, is a league regular and current director on the Grand Strand United States Bowling Congress.

Zavakos said fixtures, as well as new bulbs, were added to parking lot lightening, in addition to new lightening to the center’s sign and entry way.

“Brightening things up is a welcoming thing, and it keeps customers safe,” Zavakos said.

Zavakos said the building’s exterior will be power-washed and painted. The parking lot will be cleared of debris and painted too, and some landscape work will also be done.

“It’s already looking cleaner, and the new lights in the parking lot are a huge improvement,” said longtime-center regular Beth Bailey, who has played there for about 20 years.

Bailey and others are bracing for the installation of the synthetic overlay on the wooden lanes, a change some bowlers admit will take some getting used to.

“I like the wooden lanes, but I understand if they have to go to synthetic,” said Bailey.

Zavakos plans to spend about $50,000 on the synthetic lanes and do the project four lanes at a time so bowlers will have other lanes to use while the work is being done. The project is expected to start in early next year.

“All these years we’ve bowled on wooden lanes. … It’s going to take a little time to get used to the synthetic,” Kicklighter said.

The center’s ceiling is very nicotine-stained, and Zavakos said he plans to replace all the discolored tiles. He said that he prefers to keep the property’s inside smoke-free, and will be building outdoor lounge areas for smokers.

The center’s restrooms will be painted and repaired. In addition to all the cosmetic upgrades, kitchen equipment will also be replaced and new menu items will be added to the snack bar, which will be given a new look. Flatscreen televisions will be installed, as well as dartboards and new arcade games.

Zavakos hopes to draw in a younger crowd with new light and sound systems and a digital internet jukebox. New scorekeeping technology will also be added to the lanes.

Zavakos doesn’t have a strict timeline for all the renovations, but hopes to have everything completed for the 2015 fall league season. Once the center is revamped, he plans to market it through social media, newspapers and television ads.

A Disney’s “Frozen” theme party is planned for Dec. 28, and Zavakos said the “Frozen” theme will continue in other winter events in the new year as well.

Leagues will also have a chance to win an Alaskan cruise in August, and Zavakos said other new league programs will be offered.

Zavakos said the bowling center was built in the early 1980s with 24 lanes, but expanded to 32 lanes a few years later because it was so busy.

“It’s a good center with amazing geographical opportunities,” said Zavakos.

Zavakos said that he likes that the property is outside the tourist hotspots along the beach. Tourists are welcome at the center, but he said his main goal is to cater to the locals and long-time league players.

“He [Zavakos] spent 30 minutes with me, and we discussed things about the center together, and he told me about some of the upgrades he’s planning,” said Rick Heldreth, who has been a league player at the center for almost 25 years.

Heldreth, who said he most enjoys the family feel among the patrons, also said he thought improvements to the center would bring in more “high-average” bowlers and more business overall.

“I’ve got a home in Conway, and a home at Waccamaw [Bowling Center],” he said.

This story was originally published December 2, 2014 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Bowling center getting overhaul under new management."