Memory Lanes

Two years ago, after a decade of Sundays spent bowling five-pin at Calgary’s Paradise Lanes, Greg and Linda Decksheimer decided to buy the place.

by Scott Messenger

Bob Miller, owner for 40 years, had recently passed away and the Decksheimers were ready for career changes, Greg from supervising at an oil company and Linda from her job with the Alberta government. Nostalgia has ruled out major changes to the business Bob built, which is why the bowling pin sign – a one-off built of sheet metal and neon tubing by Calgary’s Neon Contractors Ltd. in 1960 – still reaches five metres above the entrance. Expect it to remain in this southeast neighbourhood of Forest Lawn for years to come. Knowing how aging strip-malls disappear in the wake of new condo projects, Greg secured a lengthy lease. “So even if they sell the building, they’re stuck with us,” he says, no doubt to the relief of Paradise’s 19 leagues.

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