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Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘The community deserves it': Historic Chicago bowling alley seeks community support amid financial struggles
CHICAGO — A historic Chicago bowling alley is asking for some help keeping the doors open after the owners were handed a property tax bill they just can't cover. For the last 35 years, Franklin Logan has been lacing up his bowling shoes at Skyway Lanes in Jeffrey Manor. 'I enjoy the game and after I got into bowling it was very enjoyable relaxing and I met a whole lot of friends in bowling,' Logan said. But the lanes are not as busy as they used to be. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines 'People don't bowl anymore, they got older, they don't take their children like they used to, back in the day bowling was a family affair,' Logan said. Brunetta Hill-Corley and her husband run the business which her father bought in 2009, but Skyway Lanes originally opened in 1950 and it is the only remaining black-owned bowling alley in the city. The bowling alley used to have 30 leagues that would bowl regularly here, but now they are down to only 10. Skyway still hosts Chicago Public Schools bowling tournaments, and children with autism come here with the Chicago Park District. 'We call this our safe haven, not only for us, but the community as well,' Hill-Corley said. Keeping up with the alley is not cheap. All 36 of the pinsetters behind the house are original. Hill-Corley said she would like to upgrade to new electronic machines- but that would cost around $1 million. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland On top of all of that, Hill-Corley said she is still paying back a COVID disaster relief loan and facing a property tax assessment that has doubled this year. 'The property taxes, just, it's beyond a kick in the gut when you don't have the right revenue stream to support it. How can you pay it?' Hill-Corley said. The family has since started a GoFundMe fundraiser in hopes of raising enough money to stay afloat. 'The community deserves it, and that's why we're reaching out to the community to come back in help us through this journey so that we can keep this pillar in our community,' Hill-Colrey said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Black-owned Chicago bowling alley struggles to stay in business
CHICAGO - For over 75 years, Skyway Bowl has been a staple of Chicago's Southeast Side. The family-owned business is fighting to keep its doors open for the next generation, but they need help. The bowling alley is located in the 9900 block of South Torrence Avenue in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood. What we know Owner Brunetta Hill-Corley said support is needed after being steamrolled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Bowling leagues keep the business afloat, but the number of people hitting the lanes hasn't picked back up to pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, the bills keep coming. "With that shut down, we lost a third or a fourth, or more of our main and our strongest revenue stream, which is our league bowl," Hill-Corley said. She added that while the alley sued the governor to reopen during the pandemic, the business didn't financially benefit from that legal win. "But I operated this facility for two years with no customers," she added. "There was still debt that had to be paid. You had to pay a mortgage. You had to pay utilities. My employees were laid off." Skyway Bowl took out a small business loan from the federal government. At the height of the business, there was a league with 150 people. Now, it's down to just 30. The backstory Johnnie and Mary Hill purchased it in 2009. Johnnie was originally from the south, where he worked picking cotton. He migrated to the north, were he worked in various roles for the city, county, and state. He became a trailblazer as the first African American to own two Chicago bowling alleys despite never having bowled himself. His purchase of Skyway was a labor of love for his wife. After Johnnie's death and as Mary aged, their daughter, Brunetta, took over the business. The bowling alley has endured, but challenges have mounted. Seeking help In 2020, Skyway lost nearly half of its league revenue due to the impact of COVID-19. Now, rising property taxes are making it even harder to stay afloat. Yet, the owners refuse to roll a gutter ball just yet. To keep the historic bowling alley thriving, they've launched a GoFundMe campaign aiming to expand operations and ensure Skyway Bowl's legacy continues for generations to come. "I don't care what color you are, you should always take care of home first, meaning take care of your community first," said Hill-Corley. "You should go out and bowl at other facilities and experience the competition and the social experience there, but at the end of the day, don't leave your community hanging." Skyway Bowl is trying to raise $1 million to pay off its mortgage and pandemic loan. It's the only Black-owned alley with certification from the United States Bowling Congress. To learn more, go to
