Since 1960, Manor Bowl has served the community as a place of leisure and for pros and amateurs alike to share the exciting joy of bowling. After 60 years of operation, Manor Bowl has decided not to renew their lease and close their doors as of May 5th 2020.

         

Tex and Pam Phippin, the couple that owns Manor Bowl and Castro Village Bowl, decided that if anything were to happen to one of them, the remaining person would sell one of the properties. Due to the death of Tex Phippin, Pam Phippin decided to sell the Manor Bowl property. The city of San Leandro was given proposals to use the lot that Manor Bowl is on to build low income housing.

         

Lajuana Young, the day and weekend manager at Manor Bowl, knows that Manor Bowl has served more than a bowling alley for the local community.

         

“We’ll miss the place. It’s been here for years. I grew up in here, my family grew up in here, my son grew up in here, so you know it’s just a family place,” Young said. “[Manor Bowl] provided entertainment; just somewhere where families can go to have fun.”

         

Likewise, Manor Bowl has also been a place of importance to math teacher Dean Ironside who used to be an avid bowler and worked at Manor Bowl for six years.  

         

“The people were a lot of fun, it was a great job to have while I was in college, I met my wife there...I made a lot of good friends,” Ironside said.

         

Ironside believes that the community will have something to miss when Manor Bowl closes, but he also recognizes the change that  may have led up to this decision.

         

“I don’t know anyone that’s been there in awhile...There’s so much change; most of the families here probably never been there,” Ironside said.

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Ironside also factors in the downfall of bowling’s popularity for Manor Bowl’s closing, especially as local teenagers stop going to bowl.

         

“As of the students at Arroyo, I doubt many of them even hang out there anymore. It used to be quite the hangout, teenagers would go and just be teenagers. I doubt it will be noticed until they build houses on it,” Ironside said.

         

Though Manor Bowl will soon close its doors, students and their families will have the opportunity to hang out and bowl at the alley and bask in the nostalgia of what Manor Bowl used to mean for them before closing day, May 5th, 2020. •