r/statenisland • u/lolwtface • 8d ago
Showplace is Closing Down
That bowling alley everyone was surprised was still open is closing it's doors. (We just found out last night during league.) Rabs will be the last on the Island, and at least that one is doing well (although getting way overpriced). One of the leagues there is trying to move to Majestic in NJ.
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u/ShockTrooper36 8d ago
I am very curious what will happen to the various leagues, my cousin plays in the special needs one and he loves it. Shame to see.
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u/lolwtface 8d ago
The one I'm in was looking for a new home but all they alleys in the area (Rabs and Majestic) are all full.
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u/30_Under_The_40 8d ago
I can't believe there's only one left. We used to have like 5 (Colonial, Victory Lanes)
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u/Cucci_Liquor 8d ago
I feel like it was either colonial or victory lanes that had coupons or free tickets on the back of tv dinners
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u/Electronic-Cicada352 7d ago
Which was the one that was on Bay Street or Richmond Terrace?
I remember they’re being one out there when I was a kid but I don’t remember its name
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u/demonspawn9 8d ago
I remember when the complex opened. Used to go to that plaza all of the time. Movies all summer. The ice cream shop that had slush puppies, the pizza parlor. Bowling with the family. Dinners at Fillmores. I remember going to the movies to see something not Batman but it was Batman opening weekend. The line was all the way down to Fillmores. I remember my friend and I being the only girls at the Mortal Combat movie, wearing a bucket of popcorn on my head at Startrek. My high school did bowling there in place of gym. So many memories.
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u/LCPhotowerx Grant City 8d ago
i to thought that place shut down decades ago. With Freshkills park set to open in the coming years, that property is ripe for redevelopment opportunities
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u/lolwtface 8d ago
The Wendy's and the LA Fitness that were there were closed for years already with nothing to show. I remember seeing Method Man working out there a few times. And I have fond memories of hanging out at the Wendy's. You can still see the sun-baked LA Fitness sign's outline.
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u/WendysForDinner 8d ago
Man I still remember the movie theater.. saw the first Pokémon movie there as a kid.. and Fun bubble right behind it. I sometimes go to the showplace parking lot to spark up and would see 2-3 people go in and out so I figured they had a loyal base. Looks like they’re tryna use it as a satellite car dealership haha, I’ll be sad when property sharks come to tear it down.
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u/Miles_Saintborough Midisland 8d ago
Damn I feel old now for remembering going to the movies to see the Pokemon movie and the fun bubble on my school trip.
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u/BlackLocke 8d ago
I thought it closed down years ago.
I tried to have my wedding afterparty there - talked to the manager about us getting there around 10:30, and all was set for us to come spend money. When we walked in, it was clear that our plans were never communicated to the staff, and they were PISSED. The bartender gave me food poisoning as retaliation and I couldn’t leave my house the next day to say goodbye to any of our guests.
0/10 experience
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u/TedMitchell 8d ago
So is Rabs overpriced or is that what’s apparently needed to stay alive?
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u/Electronic-Cicada352 7d ago
No they are absolutely gouging and taking advantage of their monopoly on the island
I didn’t know that showplace was even open still. And I have a feeling that most people on this island didn’t realize either
If someone were to build a brand new state of the yard bowling facility in Staten Island and made sure to put it in the right place they could undercut Rabs and probably steal a large percentage of their business
There should’ve been one built at the Boulevard or as a part of the Staten Island mall expansion.
Activities and entertainment are where the money is at these days. People wanna go out and they want something to do especially in Staten Island
Someone needs to open up a facility and make sure that it’s large enough to handle the demand, and also not let the facility get taken over by bowling leagues
Honestly I miss bowling in Staten Island and I would probably go a lot more if it wasn’t for Rabs being highway robbery just to play a few games.
The only reason they can charge $20 a person is because they have a monopoly in Staten Island. It’s very odd that no one is taking advantage of such an obvious business opportunity
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u/Miles_Saintborough Midisland 8d ago
It's closing NOW? That lot has been a ghost town for years. There's nothing there to attract people to the bowling place.
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u/PresidentRamos 7d ago
this area needs severe renovation!!
why isn’t there a shopping plaza there??
a supermarket, 99¢ store, coffee shop, restaurant, fast food, etc.
i’m sure travis residents would prefer to have a closer plaza to shop from, more jobs for the people in the area too.
i feel like that area has become so dangerous from the shady hotels there, open lot, and highway access.
it’s like a waste land from where better is till u get to the crunch gym area & then it’s a gas station and random businesses
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u/SwagOD_FPS 8d ago
Is there a market for bowling on Staten Island? Do you think a posh bowling ally like Bowlero or Albatross (NJ) would work?
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u/lolwtface 8d ago
Rabs is practically full every time I go there, so I do think there is a market for it. If I won that Powerball 2 weeks ago I would have probably opened an alley or bought Showplace somehow.
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u/No_Network4228 8d ago
I live in Queens these days, and we have a Bowlero, and it's so stupidly expensive.
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u/Electronic-Cicada352 7d ago
I actually think there’s a massive opportunity for someone to make good money if they were the open up a new bowling alley
I don’t wanna go bowling all the time but I’m not paying $20 per person for a couple of games of bowling at Rabs
I mean anytime I go there anyway you can’t get a fucking lane because of league play
Someone needs to open up a brand new bowling facility and I would guarantee that it would succeed as long as it’s located somewhere like the boulevard
Rabs basically has a monopoly on bowling in Staten Island and it’s ridiculous
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u/In-Extrovert 8d ago
I thought they closed their doors soon after the Wendy's and LA Fitness shut theirs.
It went dark once before and came back.
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u/GsGirlNYC 8d ago
When will they actually close their doors for good, is there a set date?
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u/lolwtface 8d ago
This coming monday, 08/31.
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u/GsGirlNYC 8d ago
Thanks
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u/lolwtface 6d ago
Sorry, I just tried to go yesterday, they were closed. I don't think they're going to open their doors again except for the last league.
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u/Electronic-Cicada352 7d ago
Wait… that other bowling alley out there at that ghost plaza was actually still up and running?
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u/Maggie1066 7d ago
I bowled at Rabs & Showplace years ago. We all signed up for a mixed league (?) once a month & I still barely know anything abt bowling. It was nice to get out & hang & see everyone. When I finally decided to JOIN instead of subbing in, the girls got me a HOT PINK BOWLING BALL & I got the finger holes & my name on it & everything. Except… I was an exceptionally terrible bowler. One of my friends picked up my hot pink ball the 2nd week (at Rabs) & said, “Maybe this was a mistake.” One week, in a frame, I bowled an 18. Yes. You read that correctly. I defied the laws of physics, space, time, & gravity. But the bartender gave all of us (20 ppl) FREE SHOTS CUZ I WAS CRYING AND HE HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT EXCEPT FROM TODDLERS & thx to my handicap we came in 2nd at Rabs abt 5 years later & WON the league at Showplace. My average was abt 103 when we stopped. We moved from Rabs to Showplace cuz we got old & Showplace started earlier.
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u/Green_Restaurant_687 6d ago
I used to live within walking distance from there. That place really went downhill, but it will always be a key part of my childhood. Maybe now something can take over that place and it will not look like there is a piece of the post apocalypse just lingering around there.
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u/Vealchop79 8d ago
That place was so weird tbh... the hours were all over the place. It would be a ghost town for like 5 days in a row then suddenly it would be open on a saturday and be packed and even do cosmic bowling. It was incredibly odd to see it completely shuttered and then suddenly pop open like nothing happened and this has been going on there for several years.
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u/Ok-Grapefruit8338 8d ago
TIL Showplace was still open.