A local bowling alley must close, owners say

Jake Genna said he doesn’t like it more than anyone else, but ownership has decided to close Icehouse Lanes on April 29.

Genna, a co-owner of the bowling alley near Philipsburg, said a number of factors contributed to the decision.

A piece of the equation that led to the business closing was unattended children damaging the property, though financial considerations were the driving force behind the closure.

“We’re closing due to lack of profitability,” Genna said. “It’s not an easy or a popular decision, but it is a necessary decision to close.”

An eight-lane bowling alley would likely be a viable option, according to industry standards, but a 24-lane business was too large for the local population to support. Genna operated the bowling alley for two years.

It was originally the Moshannon Valley Super Bowl until a bank foreclosed the business in 2015. Genna bought the business in 2016 to try to resurrect it as the Philipsburg Super Bowl.

The facility might be leased to another business or Genna Ice could move its operations to the space in the fall of 2018.

“I hope people aren’t angry that we failed, but are proud that we tried,” Genna said. “There was plenty of community support. I feel for our customers, but we have to recognize we can’t build enough of an attraction to support something this size.”

This story was originally published March 13, 2018 at 12:30 PM with the headline "A local bowling alley must close, owners say."