Dick Weber Lanes was always the most famous bowling center in Florissant, Missouri, but that could be changing now that Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. — a.k.a. Nelly — has acquired the city’s other venerable tenpin venue, Olympic Lanes.
Weber and business partner Robert Timme sold the 32-lane Dick Weber Lanes in 1984, but the name remained for several years under the AMF umbrella. Olympic Lanes housed only 12 lanes, but that seems to be the perfect size for the business model envisioned by music star Nelly and his business manager, Mike Chaffin.
The Florissant City Council has approved Derrty Bowling LLC’s remodeling plans as well as a liquor license for the venue, which Chaffin said will undergo a $600,000 renovation. Plans call for a high-energy environment with lots of music — no surprise there — but also “a variety of different league packages.”
Work on the 11,000-square-foot facility is expected to be completed by June.
It has been reported that Olympic Lanes, originally opened in 1973, utilized “the same 12 wooden lanes that were used in the 1960 Tokyo Summer Olympics.” However, Tokyo did not host the Summer Games until 1964, while Rome hosted the Games in 1960, and bowling was neither a medal nor exhibition sport at either. That confusion aside, the new ownership and renovation figure to breathe new life into the historic venue.
Chaffin added that bowling has been a passion for Nelly his entire life, “and we saw an opportunity when the lanes became available.”
Nelly has appeared on several celebrity bowling telecasts organized by the PBA and displayed good form — not to mention an abundance of enthusiasm.
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