CICERO, Ill. (WLS) — A celebration was held in Cicero on Saturday as Town Hall Bowl reopened its doors.
A 25-year-old owner rehabbed the business with some help from his more than one million social media followers.
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Each throw and pin knocked down are now part of a new chapter of life for Town Hall Bowl in Cicero.
“It’s sort of surreal because I’ve been, like, living in this bowling alley for, what feels like, the last three months,” Town Hall Bowl owner Yianni Mavrakis said. “Probably spent 15 nights in it doing the amount of work that I have to paint the walls, get it ready for this day.”
Its newest owner, Mavrakis, took the struggling 60-year-old bowling alley on a new lane, spending months rehabilitating the building.
“This place was abused,” Mavrakis said. “The previous owners did not take care of it.”
A lot of places like this are going down now, and to see one just being revived and getting a second chance is very big
Cesar Gomez, grand opening attendee
All the work was done to prepare for the launch of its grand reopening Saturday, with music, food and sports delivering a slam dunk success for professional and amateur bowlers alike.
“When I’m in here and there’s a family here having a good time, like, that’s what keeps me rolling,” Mavrakis said.
His efforts to revive the facility were viewed millions of times on social media.
“It felt like I was stepping into the Instagram post,” grand opening attendee Chantelle Roulston said. “Like, it’s incredible to see the behind-the-scenes and the final product.”
It’s a dream no longer.
“There’s a lot of energy,” Roulston said. “People are laughing. People around me are cheering me on.”
Now, it’s striking a nostalgic reality.
“Growing up, I did competitions here, youth competitions,” professional bowler Nick Anderson said. “I can see a couple future professional bowlers. It’s a couple of them that have been throwing some strikes.”
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“A lot of places like this are going down now, and to see one just being revived and getting a second chance is very big,” grand opening attendee Cesar Gomez said.
“This place will be successful so long as the community accepts it,” Mavrakis said.
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