As you open the door at 141 West Third St. a familiar sound can be heard.
For 51 years the crack of balls slamming into pins has echoed off the walls below the small strip mall. Back in 1963 there were several locations to go bowling on the North Shore but today North Shore Bowl represents the last pin standing.
Going down the stairs is a bit like going back in time. It is exactly what you think a bowling alley should look like. The 16 lanes gleam and the whole setup feels decidedly retro. There are the metal seats at the end of each lane forming a horseshoe around the scorekeeping desk. The rows of bowling shoes by the front desk, a few video games, some racks of snack food are all there but what is noticeably absent is a bar.
"I decided a long time ago that we would not serve liquor here," says owner Richard Grubb. "It has always been a family place and it always will be."
Grubb, 68, a three-time Canadian champion, has a long history with bowling in Vancouver that goes all the way back to his teenage years.
"I remember going to Commodore Lanes on Granville to play pinball when I was 13 and my friends talked me into trying bowling. Pretty soon I was working there setting up pins," he recalls.
"I was paid five cents a game. Back then it cost 15 cents a game to bowl.
"You would sit on a ledge at the end of the lane and there was a lever you'd press and five spikes would come up, then you'd set the pins on them, and push the lever again to make the spikes go away."
Grubb worked in a number of different bowling alleys.
"I worked for Morley Punchon who was the original owner. At one point he owned 10 bowling alleys," says Grubb.
"He was a good boss and after 20 years of service he gave me a gold ring with diamonds.
"When I came here I liked it right way."
Grubb was an assistant manager, then the manager and in 1997 he bought North Shore Bowl. He's made few changes over the years. The focus has always been on providing a place where you could feel comfortable bowling with your family. Shortly after becoming owner, Grubb added glow bowling. With the lights turned off and the black lights turned on, the place is transformed.
"The kids love it. They wear white clothing and the disco music gets turned on. They have a blast."
The machines that service the lanes no longer have teenagers hidden behind them but they're still vintage.
"Those machines are 51 years old and they still work great. I've got parts stored to maintain them that I bought from other bowling alleys when they went out of business."
Spare parts aren't the only extras needed to keep things working. There are more than 240 pins, more than a hundred balls and several hundred pairs of shoes. The pins are no longer made of wood, they're now made of plastic.
"These pins never break. Not like the old ones. I used to give the broken pins away for firewood."
A couple of years ago there was some water damage that resulted in new floors having to be installed. The old wooden lanes were removed and new synthetic flooring was put down. "Those floors will last forever."
With varying degrees of success, the Early Bird league toss the balls onto the gleaming lanes without leaving a mark. There are nine different leagues playing now.
"It used to be about 66 per cent women playing here, now it's a more even split between ladies, men and kids."
There is a strong social connection with many of the bowlers playing together for 30 or even 40 years. Four bowlers are in their 90s.
Ruth Robson, who Grubb describes as the queen of the bowling alley, has been bowling since she was nine. Now, at 79 years old, she still bowls three times a week, and has an average of 180. "It used to be 235 but age has caught up with my game," she says with a smile.
Robson has a huge scrapbook of photos and newspaper clippings from her long bowling career. "I made many really great friends through bowling. We have had a lot of good times here and bowling in competitions, we still do have fun."
Birthday parties are a big part of the activities. "Every Saturday and Sunday there are several parties each day," says Grubb.
"It's an affordable way to have a kids party, so the parents like it and the kids come in and have fun. It's great to see them.
"I see parents bringing in their kids and I remember when they were the kids being brought in."
Thursday evenings the Special Olympics group come in, filling all the lanes with 80 bowlers at play.
The elusive perfect game is the Holy Grail of bowling and Grubb has managed to bowl four of them in his career but none of them at North Shore Bowl. To his knowledge there has only ever been one perfect game bowled there and that was by Bob Oughton, about 10 years ago.
Grubb still bowls competitively on a Lower Mainland team maintaining a 250 average and his love of the game.
With a single employee - his manager, Neil Richards - Grubb keeps the doors open 364 days a year. "We only close on Christmas."
Grubb says, "I just renewed our five-year lease with an option for another five years so I plan to keep it going for at least that long."
Another ball thunders down a lane and scores a strike. Followed by a cheer from Lane 10, then back go the pins ready for the next ball.
Hopefully, for these loyal bowlers, North Shore Bowl will continue as it is for a long time.
