Iconic Wall Township bowling alley to close after 50 years in business

One of Wall Township’s oldest businesses will be closing its doors this weekend after 50 years of operation.

News 12 Staff

May 14, 2021, 9:50 PM

Updated 1,247 days ago

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One of Wall Township’s oldest businesses will be closing its doors this weekend after 50 years of operation.
The iconic Lanes at Sea Girt Bowling Alley has been a Monmouth County staple since the 1960s. But the COVID-19 pandemic was just too much for it to bear.
“I’ve been coming here since the 1970s. My company purchased the place in February 1995, and I’ve been here ever since,” says general manager Don Corcione.
Corcione led the small staff at the bowling alley for 30 years, overseeing countless birthday parties, bowling leagues and celebrations. The pandemic shuttered the lanes for seven months in 2020.
“League bowling has waned. Casual bowling before the pandemic was on the upswing. After the pandemic, some nights it was a ghost town until I started with the music,” Corcione says.
Live music at the bowling alley kept it afloat for a while. Cosmic Jerry Band played more than 100 shows there since the lanes reopened in September.
“You’re out over the lanes, playing on the lanes – bowling balls whizzing by. It took a lot of getting used to,” says Cosmic Jerry Band member Dan Donovan.
But despite the music, the memories and the fun, the bowling alley’s parent company Nationwide Bowling Corp. accepted a multimillion-dollar offer on the land.
“It’s almost been a second home, a shelter in a storm for a lot of musicians and a lot of music lovers,” says Corcione.
Gottesman Real Estate owns the shopping center next door to the bowling alley and bought the land back in March. As for what will come next, the vice president tells News 12 New Jersey that all options are still on the table - including a new bowling alley as long as the right investors come along with the right visions.
Monday will be the last day that the bowling alley will be in business. Sunday will be the last day for live music.