As Scene reported in April, Twin Lanes, on E. 30th and Chester, is the bowling puritan’s heaven — but hell for its owners. The venerable alley is run by 60-year old twins Tim and Tom Menge, who blame bowling for virtually every problem in their life: their weight, their single status, their lack of higher education, and, of course, their brokeness.
It’s that last aspect that brings us to today’s update. Twin Lanes is one of the few old-school bowling alleys still surviving in Cleveland. (On the west side, Mahall’s in Lakewood comes to mind). The twins have closed the upstairs, which held the majority of the alley’s lanes, and seen unexpected and momentary salvation in the arrival of black customers. But even this previously unfathomable demographic won’t keep the Lanes afloat forever. On our last visit to the alley, a scrawled sign spelled doom: the twins have drastically cut the hours of operation. Previously open seven days a week, and at any hour that a reasonable person would feel like bowling, the alley is now closed from Sunday through Tuesday. On the days that it remains open, hours have also been reduced. “There’s no money,” explains the always understated Tom. …
This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2008.