JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A crowd favorite in Jacksonville Beach is officially closed for business after a back and forth legal battle.
Action News Jax first told you yesterday about Beach Bowl’s abrupt closure.
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“Welcome to Beach Bowl, where the good times have stopped rolling….”
That’s the message people are greeted with when they call the bowling alley. The historic facility has served bowlers for decades. It hosted birthday parties and dozens of bowling leagues.
Yvonne Roberts said she has been going to Beach Bowl for 16 years. On Wednesday, she booked a party at the bowling alley. She found out about the closure from Facebook.
“I’m just more annoyed that-- why do you even take it?” Robert said, referring to her deposit for the party. “It was just on Wednesday, and then you close two days or three days later, so that doesn’t make any sense to me.”
We got Roberts in touch with the owners of the facility to clear things up. They offered to move Robert’s party to their Westside facility, Batt’s Family Fun Center. It’s 32 minutes from the beach location. That option is also open to anyone else who has a party booked. They can also receive a full refund check in the mail.
Anyone in a bowling league will also get a full refund, if they paid in advance. If you have items in a locker at the facility, you can stop by this week to pick them up.
The owner, Miles Batt, said the closure is the culmination of a three-year court battle, and ultimately the landlord won. He said the landlord wants to use the property for something else, but there is not word on what that will be.
We asked Batt if he gave his employees any notice.
“They knew this could happen,” Batt said, but he wouldn’t say when he told them.
There is a small glimmer of hope — one final court hearing this week. But Batt does not seem very hopeful. On Sunday, his family spent the afternoon moving out machines and other items into a U-haul.
“It’s a sad thing for the whole community to lose this,” Roberts said.
Now, the only bowling alley at the beaches is the new Pinz & Spinz at Naval Station Mayport. For base access or more information call 904-270-5377.
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