Bemidji Bowl Moves Across Town

Leagues and Parties Take Priority

By Andrew Pooch and Nick Jelacie

Word Count: 776

            Bemidji Bowl moved from their old 12,000 square foot location near campus to a 30,000 square foot  facility along Highway 71 three months ago and has since changed their customer focus.

            "We wanted to make it more than a bowling alley," said Steve Vosika, Owner of Bemidji Bowl. "We wanted this location to be a family entertainment center."

            The quest to reach their goal began nearly twenty years ago.  Steve and Pat Vosika purchased Bemidji Bowl from Terry Tuomala in Nov. 1990.  The Vosika’s were enthusiastic about their purchase, because when their children were young, they made the trip to Bemidji from the Twin Cities for vacations.  They often visited the local bowling alley.  Since the purchase however, they had been continuously remodeling.  This caused them to look for different location to build. 

            "We outgrew the old location. The parking lot at times wasn’t big enough to hold all the cars for our customers. We were looking for a piece of property that would be suitable for us, this location came up at the right time," said Mr. Vosika.

            They found their ideal location on the west side of Bemidji along highway 71.  This site was the old location of CBS Fitness.  The Vosika’s purchased the 3.5 acre property and began the process of demolishing the fitness center and building their bowling alley.  The construction began in Jan. 2010.

            College students that are used to walking to the bowling alley from the dorms will have to adjust to the change in location.  The old two-block walk, changed to five miles across town.  The family orientated move, has left many students unaware that the bowling alley still existed.

            "I thought the bowling alley had closed,"  said Junior Kevin Plzak.  "I had no idea there was a new one across town."

            The Vosika's expressed their focus on a nice restaurant and bar, and many  quality lanes for their expanding leagues.  The arcade and party rooms were to accommodate for children's parties.

            The new Bemidji Bowl has twenty-four lanes, automatic scoring and adult and junior leagues.   The front sixteen lanes are for open bowl and league play.  This area has large display screens and a large open area to socialize.   The back eight lanes are reserved for glow bowling and are open all day.

            Bemidji Bowl also has a restaurant, bar and lounge.  The restaurant has a full menu with items such as salads, pizzas, appetizers and sandwiches.  The Web site for Bemidji Bowl has a downloadable menu.

            The bar area has a wide variety of beer and large selection of popular liquors.  Right next to the bar area is the full-swing golf course.  This video game features many of the country’s popular courses. 

            The game is played on a HD projection screen, offering 43 different courses. It is sophisticated enough that it’s like golfing in real time and so advanced, that the BSU golf team uses it for training during the winter months.

            "The golf game was a lot of fun," said Senior Nick Zemke.  A bunch of my friends and I played one night and it feels like the real thing without having to walk."

            Bemidji Bowl offers a variety of promotional nights, none of which are specific to college students.  The promotions include birthday parties, afternoon promotions and few drink specials. These promotions aren't enticing students to visit.

            "If the bowling alley had better drink deals or college ID night, more students would go there," said Senior Brandon Yetter.

            The focus may not be towards college students, but the Vosika's feel their current focus is a better approach to their business, but for right now Steve Vosika would say, "It's too early to tell."

            For more information or looking to plan a party, reserve lanes or sign up for a league, contact Bemidji Bowl at (218) 751-2153.  Ask for Steve or Matt Vosika.

The front sixteen lanes at Bemidji Bowl are for open bowling and league play, and feature large display screens and open areas for socializing with friends and competitors.  Photo taken by Andrew Pooch

If your looking for a break between frames, visit the Redemption Arcade, which has games for everyone.  Photo taken by Andrew Pooch

The full service bar and restaurant has a bartender ready to serve up your favorite drinks and a full menu to choose from.  Photo taken by Andrew Pooch

Looking to get out of the cold this winter and work on your golf game?  Bemidji Bowl has a full-swing golf simulation to keep you swinging all year long.  Photo taken from BemidjiBowl.com