Brooklyn Bowl, Open for Business!

Walking into Brooklyn Bowl, the new bowling alley and performance venue that opened in Williamsburg on July 7th, one immediately notices two things: space and sound. Both aspects have been carefully paid attention to by Brooklyn Bowl’s founders, Peter Shapiro and Charley Ryan, NYC music industry veterans, who have been envisioning the state-of-the-art, completely Green bowling alley and concert space for years.

The result is a massive, 23,000 square foot, 600-person capacity venue with 16 bowling lanes, a performance stage, a restaurant with a menu by Blue Ribbon, and two full bars, all of which has been designed with sustainability in mind. While gliding balls and clashing pins can be heard echoing throughout the space, the bowling sounds are merely ambient noise compared to the concert-quality, JBL Vertec sound system which was custom designed for the space, as were with the nine high-definition digital projection screens installed by Mathew Galati of Meta-AV, eight of which span the bowling alley like a wall of moving images ready to display the best in motion graphic content, music videos, and concert DVDS.

Specs like these mean Shapiro and Ryan are serious about throwing concerts and events here, which will feature their high-profile industry connections in the music and AV community. They’re also looking to help local artists and bands grow, especially since bowling patrons will serve as a built-in audience for new talent.

The kickoff event with Flavorpill last Friday featured Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt!, O’Death, and DJ’s Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin. Starting in September, Brooklyn Bowl will begin having regular events, as well as weekly programming such as themed bowling nights.

If this all sounds like a lofty venture, it is—which is one of the reasons why Brooklyn Bowl is opening in a soft launch capacity until late summer, slowly extending its hours, menu, and events schedule while all the details get worked out.

“There will be a lot of very special impromptu performances. It’s very diverse,” Media Director Justin Bolognino said. “The thread that connects it all together is fun. No pretension. You don’t have to dress a certain way or be cool or uncool or any of that stuff. Everyone is welcome here and everyone has a chance to have an amazing night.”

Though it’s a tough time for a business to be opening right now, Shapiro and Ryan are hoping that their unique blend of bowling, music, food, beer, and entertainment will draw crowds looking to have fun and engage with others instead of passively sitting or standing at a bar or concert. They also hope that their hourly pricing structure—between $30-50 per hour per lane depending on the time—will encourage people to bring or make friends for group bowling.

“We really do want people to interact,” Ryan said. “In the modern age, you can do Wii bowling, but you’re not going to get the big experience unless you come here, even if you have a great sound system or a big TV. If you put it all together, between the live experience and everything, it gets people out and the end result is that people actually interact. We’ve had parties here and the interactivity of people is the most remarkable thing really.”

While the space is big, the beauty of Brooklyn Bowl is in the details. Interior designer Tristam Steinberg has created a cozy, old-meets-new feel that stands apart from the plastic, neon-inspired designs that some might be familiar with. At Brooklyn Bowl, there are tables made from old bowling lanes, cushy black couches and booths, a bar inspired by a 19th century Coney Island shooting gallery, imperfect wood paneling, and exposed rafters.

Shapiro and Ryan worked with GreenOrder, a sustainability consultant, to add functional, environmentally friendly elements to the design—some visible, such as the stage made out of recycled truck tires—and some less so, such as pin-spotters that use 75% less energy than regular ones or L.E.D. stage lights that use 90% less. Brooklyn Bowl isn’t just paying lip-service to green design, however—the owners are committed to L.E.E.D certification, which requires meeting a stringent set of criteria to ensure sustainability. At the bar, which features 10 Brooklyn-based brews from Brooklyn Brewery, Kelso, and Sixpoint, customers will also be reminded of the venue’s commitment to the environment, with drinks served on tap instead of in cans and bottles.

Though the design details are costly, Shapiro and Ryan are hoping that they will pay off in the long run in terms of efficiency and patronage.

“This equipment is not only new, but it’s relatively maintenance free. It’s part of the design,” Ryan said. “It’s forward thinking stuff, not your father’s bowling alley. That really extends to everything we did. We did a lot of work to make the systems something that would be energy efficient—something that we’re not embarrassed by and that contributes to a better world.”

With the huge performance space, cutting edge audio and video equipment, focus on interactive fun, and insistence on sustainability, Shapiro and Ryan hope to achieve with Brooklyn Bowl a venue that is nothing short of a new model in entertainment. Opening during a recession period in which many businesses are struggling to survive, their project is decidedly ambitious. It appears though, that Shapiro and Ryan have all their pins in a row.

Brooklyn bowl is open 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. weekdays and until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. 21+ until extended hours begin in the fall. For more information, visit BrooklynBowl.com or call (718) 963-3369.