Maude Lebowski:
What do you do for recreation?
The Dude:
Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback."
While the record northeast rainfall and cool weather has wrecked havoc on traditional summer seasonal businesses, indoor venues have been flourishing.
Not the least of these -- bowling!
The bowling industry generates about $3B dollars from approximately 5000 bowling centers around the country. Lane usage represents 60% of revenues with the remaining revenue coming from concessions and merchandise.
It all comes down to traffic -- and rainy weekends in the summer-time are like manna from heaven for bowling center operators.
Yep, June 2009 has been a banner bowling year.
Following is an excerpt from an article published today (July 3, 2009) in the Framingham, Massachusetts MetroWest Daily News:
The old rhyme rings true: "Rain, rain, go away..."
As MetroWest drowns under days of rain and residents wonder what happened to summer, area families scrounge for activities that don't require sun.
In Natick, Fairway Bowling alley owner Helen Sellew said business has been good so far this summer - a season that is traditionally "not a good bowling time."
Families and groups have been crowding the alley's lanes, and while the alley typically closes for the Fourth of July, it will be open this year because the holiday falls on a Saturday, she said.
"It's been wonderful for us. ... I'm always praying for rainy weekends," said Sellew, who started Fairway Bowling 55 years ago.
Indeed.
The weather "abides."
