
Colonial Lanes, a long-standing bowling center and cherished Iowa City institution for decades, is under new ownership, though its vintage charm remains intact for now. Brad Huff, the previous owner, found the bowling center’s new owners through a mutual friend, ultimately passing the torch to a group with a passion for the sport — and […]
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Click here to purchase a paywall bypass linkColonial Lanes, a long-standing bowling center and cherished Iowa City institution for decades, is under new ownership, though its vintage charm remains intact for now.
Brad Huff, the previous owner, found the bowling center’s new owners through a mutual friend, ultimately passing the torch to a group with a passion for the sport — and a growing portfolio of bowling centers.
“He thought we were collecting bowling centers,” joked Rich Eighme, one of Colonial Lanes’ five new owners, of the mutual friend.
Mr. Eighme and his wife, Kathy, currently operate Waterloo-based Cadillac XBC and Maple Lanes alongside business partner Ryan Wilson. For their latest venture, the couple and Mr. Wilson have teamed up with Jake McCann and Drew Lubka, all of whom hail from Waterloo.
Bowling experience goes back years
Describing himself and his fellow co-owners as “accomplished bowlers,” Mr. Eighme emphasized the group’s collective experience in the world of bowling.
“We’re bowlers first,” he said. “We’re not just five guys that are just looking to find a business and figure out how to make it profitable. We know and understand bowling.”
Mr. Eighme bought Maple Lanes in 2012 and Cadillac XBC in 2017, but he’s been in the bowling business since he was 15 years old.
“He’s got a lot of expertise and a lot of talent when it comes to the know-how of bowling centers — the trends, the constant, ‘let’s go on vacation, visit every bowling center in that town that we go to,’ always wanting to learn more,” Ms. Eighme said of her husband, pointing to his accomplishment as 2024 USBC Proprietor of the Year.
In addition to the bowling centers, Mr. Eighme also owns bowling equipment stores Revolution Pro Shop in Cedar Rapids and Fran’s Pro Shop in Waterloo, located in Maple Lanes.
“It takes more than just bowlers to make a bowling center go. In today’s world, it takes the recreational bowler. There’s a lot more people who don’t bowl than do bowl,” Mr. Eighme said, explaining the importance of investing in additional entertainment like arcades and mini golf within a bowling venue.
Bowling has been in decline, he continued, particularly organized league bowling, but Colonial Lanes stands out with a strong league base, similar to Maple Lanes in Waterloo. Unlike many centers where non-league business dominates, Colonial still derives about 60–65% of its activity from organized league play.
“I think it’s important too, to note that with the league bowling side, we’re trying to be very mindful to do tasteful upgrades that are good for both the open play and the average consumer as well as our league bowlers,” Mr. Lubka said. “We want to give everybody a place to come and enjoy.”
'Dream team'

Shortly after taking a look at Colonial Lanes, Mr. and Ms. Eighme discussed who their ideal business partners would be on the new venture.
“Who would we really want to be partners with, who would we want to bring in on this?” Ms. Eighme recalls asking herself on the way home from their tour. “And these three guys were identified as kind of our, I don’t know if you want to say ‘dream team,’ but (we) would feel very comfortable being in business with them as people and as business partners, with their skills.”
Mr. Lubka, head mechanic at Cadillac XBC, was an easy pick for his extensive knowledge of pin setters and strong mechanical expertise. Mr. McCann, a maintenance specialist at both Waterloo bowling centers, was described by Mr. Eighme as “our fix-it guy who knows how to do everything.”
“(With) Jake, it doesn’t make any difference. You just tell him what you want done. He goes and does it. He’s just kind of that jack of all trades,” Mr. Eighme said.
Then there was Mr. Wilson, who has served as the general manager at Maple Lanes for 12 years and recently expanded his role by becoming a partner.
Mr. Lubka recalled he was power washing and working on pit cushions when Mr. Eighme approached him, hinting at an opportunity to purchase a bowling center. His mention of the pinsetters — specifically a mix of A and A2 models — led Mr. Lubka to suspect the opportunity involved Colonial Lanes. Rumors that Colonial Lanes was unofficially on the market had already reached him through friends, so the news came as no surprise.
“Obviously I was game, because I had conversations about possibly buying into Maple and Cadillac before, so I was open [to] the idea,” he said.
The group, taking on the name Iowa City Bowling Group, LLC, initiated the sale in July 2024 and by October, the bowling center was theirs.
So far, they haven’t had to hire many new staff members.
“I would say the vast majority of the employees that we inherited are still here and are — at least I think — they’re enjoying the ride so far. They want to see Colonial succeed. Many of them have been here a very long time,” Mr. Eighme said.
Updates strive to reflect Colonial’s character
Constructed in 1959, the building’s retro vibe is one of its many charms. Stepping into the lounge is like a time warp to the 1970s: a sunken bar is encompassed by wood paneled walls, with neon signs humming from their hangings. Outside, a circa 1960s marquee of channel letter lights spells out the bowling center’s name and a striped awning hovers over the front entrance. Silhouettes of people in colonial-era clothing grace the opposite side of the marquee, backlit in the evenings.
Not all the retro features have charm, though.
“To say that this place was being [run] like it was 20, 30 years in the past is an understatement,” Mr. Eighme said. “I mean, no credit card sales, it’s all cash. Very, very antiquated scoring system. No POS (point of sale) — still running things on a cash register. Just very much like bowling centers were [run] 20 years ago.”
After introducing a new scoring and POS system, flooring was installed in December, followed by the addition of new bumpers and gutters in January. The arcade area has been expanded with the addition of card-scanning redemption arcades.
While the mini golf course will stay put, the first four holes are being redesigned to make way for the arcade’s expansion. Plans are also in place for a kitchen and café remodel, with a carpet replacement scheduled for this summer, the group said.
They’ve also reconfigured the space to create a more versatile and unique bowling experience. The center’s original design featured 16 lanes together and eight lanes separated by a half wall. After taking ownership, they replaced the half wall with a full wall, separating the bowling lanes from the mini golf course.
This setup allows the smaller 8-lane section to function as a standalone space for private events like reunions or company parties, aligning with the “boutique bowling” trend, Mr. Eighme said.
“You can have those eight lanes by yourself, and they can kind of be your little area, whether it’s a reunion, whether it’s a large party, a company party, that type of thing,” he said.
To enhance the retro vibe, they installed vintage 1970s Brunswick starshields in the eight-lane area. Additionally, there are also tentative plans to update the bar, while “still trying to keep the nostalgic charm,” Mr. Wilson said.
“We have a lot of conversations about that,” Mr. Eighme added, using words like “homey” and “nostalgic” to describe the lounge area.
“I think the idea is — with the whole bowling center in general — how do we keep what is quaint and what is really neat about Iowa City and Colonial Lanes and the history of it, but how do we bring it to the to the modern era, by giving it a little bit of some of the modern niceties? So we’re trying to play that kind of hybrid, if you will, between retro and new,” he continued.
Colonial Lanes history
Previous owner Mr. Huff began working at Colonial Lanes June 9, 1972 — “right out of school,” he said. “I was basically the kid behind the counter.”
Over the years he worked his way up, buying shares of the business as the owners — comprising four families — stepped back or retired. He was general manager until 2010, when he assumed full ownership.
Early in Mr. Huff’s career, the bowling alley expanded from 16 lanes to 24, which meant removing the pool tables — which weren’t as popular at the time — to accommodate the growth, and the 18-hole mini golf course was moved where the pool tables previously sat.
The first major renovations he personally undertook were in 1998, when a 135-mph wind blew the roof off the bowling center, forcing Colonial Lanes to close for repairs. During that time, he took the opportunity to install automatic scoring, new carpet and some other upgrades “behind the scenes.”
“I’m a major believer in maintaining what you have and keeping it as nice as you can as long as you can,” Mr. Huff said.
He recalled many highlights from his 50-plus years at Colonial, but now, it’s a whole new chapter, he said, and he’s confident the new owners “will pick up the reins and will continue to take it to the next level.”
“These folks all have experience in the business, and I feel good turning it over to people who will do good things to it … I can retire gracefully and step back,” he said.
Love at first strike

Amidst the ongoing upgrades, Colonial remains open for business and hopes to have a grand opening in August.
“I think it’s important to give the customers a good experience when they come in, as opposed to just giving them an ‘experience,’” Ms. Eighme said. “I’d much rather have them have a good experience than walk away being disappointed or upset about (renovations) still being in the process. You always try to put your best foot forward.”
Reflecting on his time in the business, Mr. Huff recalls some advice a friend told him: Never fall in love with something that can’t love you back. For Mr. and Ms. Eighme, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Lubka and Mr. McCann, their dedication to the business of bowling proves that some passions are worth the risk.
“There is something special about the bowling business,” Mr. Eighme said.