By Woodrow Polston
Ten Pin Family Fun Center located at 1201 Hwy P in Vandalia, offers fun, food, unlimited bowling, and a refreshing atmosphere for the whole family. Formerly known as Spare Time Bowl and Grill, new owner James Baum purchased the bowling alley with a big vision for the future of the facility. Baum said that he officially opened for business on April 1.
“The purchase was finalized in March, and we officially opened on April 1,” said Baum. “We have repainted the interior and added a lot of new flat screen TVs above the lanes and in the dining area. We have a lot of other additions that we will be implementing soon, including a soda shop for the kids. The new interior colors in the building represent the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Blues. Eventually we will have Cardinals and Blues themed bowling balls and pins for all the lanes. We are really trying to focus on creating a family friendly environment that everyone can enjoy being a part of here,” he added.
Baum and his wife recently relocated from Utah and have 10 children. Baum said that he currently owns a variety of businesses and that he got his start in the carwash industry.
“In Utah, I started out in the carwash business. Seeing the profitable results of the unlimited monthly club business model, we have decided to offer an introductory membership price of $9.99 for unlimited bowling. For this monthly fee, members will have unlimited bowling all month long. The only (additional) cost will be for shoe rentals. We are also offering the same monthly club to bowling leagues as well,” said Baum.
While big changes are underway at this location, Baum said that it is only the first step in a monumental five-year plan that has he’s laid out.
“This is only the first part of a much larger plan that we are executing,” said Baum. “We are in talks with owners of other bowling alleys, and we hope to purchase Hannibal, Louisiana and Mexico locations to expand our business model. Our monthly members would be able to take advantage of unlimited bowling and offers at any of our locations. We have also begun acquiring carwash facilities, locally. Beyond bowling, we intend to bring a movie theater back to the area, which will have similar monthly membership packages for customers to take advantage of. At the end of the five-year plan, we would like to branch out into something much larger, like an amusement park or family fun center that has go-karts, games and rides. As we grow, members will be able to combine all their entertainment needs into one monthly membership package,” he explained.
Baum sad that another one of his businesses is selling unique smokers that can smoke a variety of foods, including pizza and even ice cream. He said that they will likely be used in the family fun center, providing smoked foods for the menu. Baum added that as a part of promoting the family friendly atmosphere, they will remove strong drinks and smoking from all locations that they acquire. He said that beer would be the only alcohol that would remain available on the menus.
Ten Pin Family Fun Center is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, visit tenpinfamilyfuncenter.com.