<Begin Segment 16>

MA: So, you said in the early '70s you kind of saved up money, decided to open your own business, this a bowling alley.

GF: Yes.

MA: What was the name of the bowling alley?

GF: Valley Bowling Center.

MA: And how, was it pretty popular?

GF: It was, not really popular like it was earlier. It kind of died down but I got it picked up fairly well.

MA: And was this in, right near your, your home and your, the town you lived in, where you opened the bowling alley?

GF: Well, what I done was I was gonna put in a lotta hours in the bowling alley. So, I bought a mobile home and set it right behind the bowling center because I wanted to get some early morning customers. And in order to do that, if I lived any distance from the bowling center I would have to drive by car, right? And by doing that, if I have a flat tire or somethin' like that, I'd have trouble opening the place up, someone might be waiting, so that's when I bought this mobile home to put it over there. And that way I could live right close to the bowling alley. And I'd just get up and have breakfast and open up the bowling center and wait for customers.

MA: Who were your customers? Were they mostly regulars that would come in?

GF: Oh, yes. In the bowling business you have to have regulars. You've gotta get, make a contract with them and what they call a league. So you have certain bowlers during the week that will come every week. Then they'll be another group comin' every week. Once a week they come. And when I first went over there I had lots of league because I worked hard on it to get different people. I went as far 40 miles, no, 50 miles, to get people to bowl. I done pretty good. Not, real, real good, but good enough just to make a living.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.