SOUTHAMPTON — Canal Bowling Lanes has stood steady in Southampton since it was built more than half a century ago. The family-owned business hasn’t changed much, but after years of chipping away, Ashley Harrison finally got her wish convincing her family to open a new arcade in the alley.
“For probably 30 years, I’ve tried to convince my grandmother, I tried to convince my dad,” Harrison said inside the bowling alley last Friday. “Finally, I got my my aunt to bite on it. But it’s (the arcade) another reason to bring people in and stop by.”
Harrison said since her great-grandfather, Paul Cantin, built the alley in 1961, besides a change of interior paint from light blue to maroon and other minor additions, this is one of the bigger changes the alley has seen since its inception. Paul and his wife Barbara lived in the house right next to the alley.
The bowling alley, located at 74 College Highway, has long been known by the Southampton community to offer a wide range of candlepin-style evening and morning leagues to compete in, while also serving as a common spot for birthday parties of all ages.
Now, walking past the 16 lanes at the far end of the alley, the arcade can be found in a small room. Inside, after officially opened on Nov. 28, there are more than a dozen machines including arcade classics like ski ball, pop-a-shot and many claw machines with various prizes.
“It’s a great add on,” Harrison said about the arcade. “It’s a great revenue source, not only for the business, but especially this time of year in New England, having something else for kids to do inside and to burn off any kind of energy is amazing.”
Along with the classics, the arcade includes many games one would find in a modern arcade, such as a virtual reality roller coaster, a large LED-screen Pac-Man console, a Jurassic Park shooter and more.
With a 13- and 9-year-old at home, Harrison is well familiar with different arcades, and indoor activities in the area. Though, for Southampton residents, many of these places are either 20 or 30 minutes away from town.
With the Tin Can Alley Lounge, sitting in tandem with the alley as a gathering spot for adults, Harris hopes the arcade will be a grab for more kids to visit the alley. And the arcade that used to be the billiards room provided the perfect space. She said regulars may have also noticed a sign switch on the outside of the building from “Billiards” to “Arcade.”
Having been passed down through generations, Harrison said the family has always adapted the business when needed, but has always kept the same style since opening.
While working the counter last Friday, Carl Greene, a mechanic at the alley, said the machines and lanes have remained the same since opening.
“I know the machinery inside out, backwards and upside down …, ” he said. “They break down sometimes, but not too often.”
Greene explained candlepin bowling is much different from standard 10-pin, using much skinnier pins. Instead of two bowls per frame, players get three, and the balls have no holes and are much smaller, only weighing roughly 2.5 pounds.
With that, he feels candlepin bowling is more difficult and takes more precision than standard. “This is more of a spare game since the balls are smaller,” he said.
Greene said he started working at the alley 22 years ago when he was offered a job by the owners at the time, including Harrison’s aunt, Lisa Yamilkoski, who currently oversees day-to-day operations.
Yamilkoski assumed her current role several years ago, after Harrison’s grandmother and Lisa’s mother, Joan Yamilkoski, died at the age of 88. The alley then went up for sale for a while and Harrison said many people in community started thinking it had closed.
Though, the family kept it going and Harrison hopes the new arcade is a reminder to the community that the bowling alley is still alive and well.
“We really want to make sure that everyone knows that we’re still here and we’re still doing things,” she said.
Just as Yamilkoski took over from Joan, Harrison said part of what has kept the business going is the family collaboration — not just by bringing different ideas to the table, but also employees.
Harrison said her 16- and 18-year-old nephews work there, uncles and aunts previously have, as have some family friends. When her kids turn the appropriate age, they will likely be next up to the plate.
“I’m personally very invested in it staying in the family all the time,” she said. “Family dynamics are hard and they go back and forth, but I’m really hoping that it’s able to stay in the family for generations to come.”
Ideas often bounce back and forth for future growth, with Yamilkoski hoping to even start hosting weddings at the alley.
Harrison, also being the co-owner of Harrison Diesel Solutions in Hatfield, said she knows how vital small businesses are for communities and hopes to start hosting more community events and fundraisers.
She hopes to expand the business further in the future, including the arcade, starting an ice cream window out the front of the store and more.
“They’re small businesses and they are the core of the community,” she said. “And I’m super big into that. I’m really trying to push us right now to become more involved in the community.”
