Pictured Is: Jason Smith, Of Throw It Better Bowling Pro Shop, left. And Dave Cirigliano, Owner Of Bowling Dynamics Pro Shop In Phoenix, R. Photo Courtesy Of Bowling Dynamics.
Editors Note: After Working For Bowling Dynamics in Phoenix, For The Last Nine Years. Jason Smith Finally Gets The Oportunity To Own His Own Pro Shop. Back Home In Indiana. He Is Forever Grateful, For The Learning Experience He Received In Arizona The Last Nine Years.
By Michael 'Chip' Begg
Managing Editor - thetenpinexpress.com
Director Mesa Metro Association
Merrillville, Ind - - - If it has been a while since you have seen Jason Smith. Out and about in the Arizona bowling community.
There is probably a good reason why, you have not seen him out and about in the Arizona bowling community lately.
After working as a pro shop assistant for Bowling Dynamics in Phoenix the last nine years. He was made an offer that he couldn't refuse, and an offer that would take him back home to his roots in Indiana.
"You know, I always wanted to run my own business. It started as a bowling center, but changed to Pro Shop after working in one for nine years. The whole thing always seemed like something that could never come to fruition, but little did I realize an opportunity would fall into my lap," he said of well, the opportunity that fell into his lap. "The pro shop I grew up using, up until I moved, had an owner who was ready to retire. My wife and I had talked about the possibility of ever moving back to Indiana, but needed to have a good reason. This opportunity was our good reason for coming back home."
The previous name of the shop was D’s Pro Shop, and it was owned by Daryl Weimer since 1992
"We bowled with a guy named Tyler Kemp from Wichita at Nationals a few years back, and he started a “Throw It Better!” chant. A few of us adopted it ourselves during league, and ultimately made it our group name for nationals," said Jason, on how he came up with the name for his pro shop. "It just seemed like a natural progression to name the shop after our infamous chant."
After talking with his family about the purchase he was in the process of making. He knew by not letting up off of the gas pedal, D's Pro Shop would eventually be his.
"I got a call in October of 2021 from my family to give me the go ahead on talking to Daryl about purchasing the shop. We went back and forth on the figures and time frame until January of 2022," he said, of the four month negotiating process."Thats when we put our down payment on the shop, and started figuring out the whole moving back process and taking over timeline. When we put the decal on the front door of the shop, it was an amazing feeling. All the hard work I felt I had put in the previous nine years had paid off."
Located in the Western part of Indiana, Merrillville is located about 43 miles east of Chicago. The bowling center has 64 lanes. According to its website: It is the mission of Stardust Bowl, to consistently provide all of their customers with superior customer service. In a safe, comfortable, and fun atmosphere. A philosophy that definitely resonated with Jason.
"Moving away from Indiana was definitely a big life change for my wife and I. We learned how to be on our own, start a family, and get by without having our family anywhere near us. It was a great growing up experience. As far as bowling goes, I got to reinvent myself and learned to be a lot more-humble," he said, of his original move to the Valley in 2012. "Moving back to Indiana, we are more able to fend for ourselves, while still having the family around. Our son gets to see his grandparents and cousins all the time. I’ve been afforded the luxury of seamlessly taking over a business that I am very familiar with, with a customer base that still has familiarity with me."
He and his family moved to Phoenix in the summer of 2012. Ironically, the day he and his family moved in to their new home in Phoenix, was the exact date he and his family moved out of Phoenix 10 years later.
"I will remember the relationships I made with everyone in the valley. I came with knowing no one, and I feel like I left with a lot people I would consider family," he said, of his 10 years in the Valley. "Six months later, I miss seeing and talking to a lot more people than I expected to. And, oh, the weather is much nicer in Phoenix. Especially in the winter time."
Also, according to its website. Here is the history of how Stardust Bowl II came into fruition.
The Barton family bowling legacy began back in 1958 when Ray Barton and a partner built the 12/20 bowling center in Gary, IN. After a few years in operation Mr. Barton’s partner felt that they should sell the bowling center and move on to different ventures. Mr. Barton decided that he would prefer to continue on in the bowling industry. He expanded his 32-lane center to 43 lanes. Rumor has it that an odd number of lanes were built so that if there were 42 lanes of league play there would still be one lane available for open play.
In 1964 Mr. Barton continued his expansion in the industry by building Stardust Bowl in Hammond, IN. His business continued to grow with the construction of Stardust Bowl II in Merrillville, IN in 1973. His fourth bowling center, Stardust Bowl III, was built in 1979 in Dyer, IN. In 1981 the 12/20 bowling center was sold leaving the three Stardust Bowl locations. In May of 2008, Stardust I in Hammond was closed.
Although Mr. Barton owned over 200 lane beds at one time (43 in Gary, 48 in Hammond, 64 in Merrillville, and 48 in Dyer), he never once rolled a single ball down any of them. Ray Barton passed away in 1997, but his legacy will continue forever. His children, Bruce and Barbara Barton, continue to operate the centers.
"The main thing I have noticed is I do not have as much storage space as we were afforded in Phoenix. The trends of ordering were for three shops, and for a while four. Scaling that down to one shop hasn’t been too difficult. But, it’s tough to guess right now what is going to be a hot seller, and what I’m going to over order for," he said, of making the adjustment from three pro shops to one. "I’ve learned quite a bit about adjusting ordering habits, and making sure I have what the customers are asking for. Luckily, I have a distributor nearby, and can get things next day if I need to make special orders."
Lake Sure USBC is the governing body for Stardust Bowl Merrillville. The association also takes care of four other bowling centers in the area. They are: Cressmore Lanes, (16); Hobart Lanes, (16); Inman's Fun + Party Center, (32); and Ray's Lanes, (16).
"What I will say is that the bowling community here is very different than the one in Arizona. The Arizona bowlers seem to be very in tune with the modern game, while a lot of the bowlers around Northwest Indiana are more old school. I find that my methods of fitting and suggestion are a little different than my peers," he said, of running a pro shop in a new market. "Some people have been very open to changes, and others not so much. But overall, I think I bring a more modern approach to fitting and layouts, while trying to keep a pulse on what equipment works at the variety of centers in the area."
Throw It Better Pro Shop is located inside of Stardust Bowl II in Merrillville, IN. He was able to keep it up and running without any stoppage. Over the last six months, he has made some changes to the appearance, with a bigger makeover coming soon. But he officially opened with the new name and face on June 1st, and said that was an amazing experience for him.
"A lot of people from the last pro shop stopped in to say hi and congratulate me," he said, of his grand opening. "I had no idea how many people even remembered who I was."
It has also been a change of hats for him as well. Involving a lot more paperwork . And coming into a new market that is a little different than he was used to in Phoenix.
"I've taken a lot of what I learned in AZ, and have implemented most of it in my day-to-day operations. Along with having to adjust to some things," he said, of how its been going during his first six months of operation. "People out here love buying new bowling balls. But a little more hesitant to make changes in their equipment, than the bowlers in Arizona."
It's probably a little too early to ask him what his future goals are for his pro shop are. But he was only too happy to share his vision for the future.
"First and foremost, I want to keep the doors open. Outside of that very attainable goal, I’d love to continue growing my customer base, and potentially add another location when the time is right," he said, on where he wants to be during the next five years. "Business has been great so far, so I feel like I can accomplish a lot moving forward. I was gifted a business that was not on the fritz, but one that was thriving, and I hope to continue that trend with a new outlook and fresh face at the helm."
He feels schooling only gets you so far. It’s the experience doing this every day that gets you as far as a lot people have gotten. Keeping an eye on what is selling is key. Not sure specific bowling balls, but what brands are popular, and what type of motion people want/need to see. He says it's always evolving, and some of it is educated guesses. He is limited on space, so each time he sells something, he immediately sets up an order to replenish it. When things fly off the shelves, he just makes sure to order a few more each time.
"I worked for Dave at Bowling Dynamics for nine years. He took a chance on a guy who was leaving AMF with no idea what he was going to do. It ended up being the best thing to ever happen to me. I learned an awful lot from one of the best, giving me the experience that has gotten me where I am today," he said, of working for Dave Cirigliano. "I will always remember enjoying coming to work every day, and being given the opportunity to thrive in an industry I love. All the knowledge and experience I gained working for Dave has set me up to succeed back here in Indiana, and I will forever be thankful for the opportunity that was afforded to me by Dave."
He said he's not sure if there was one best thing. That stood out among what he accomplished with Bowling Dynamics since he learned so much from the nine years, he was with them. He had a little experience from pro shop seminars.
"But nothing compares to these last nine years. One thing that will always stick with me is the art of slowing down and doing exceptional work, not mediocre. If we can be good at what we do, and have a friendly environment, there’s no way we cannot succeed," he said, of his career up to this point. "I was able to take care of a lot of bowlers in the Valley, and I feel like I learned a little something from all of them. There were obviously some I saw more than others, and of course the regulars. The customers are what made every day enjoyable. I’m not sure I have any single memories that I’d say stick out more than others, but through the pro shop, I was able to make a lot of friendships with people I still keep in touch with to this day. I have a healthy group of Valley bowler who go to nationals with me, and all them I’d consider friends, and not just customers."
He is forever grateful for the opportunity to work for Bowling Dynamics. He is also grateful for all the people who allowed him to help them over the years, and those who have kept him in their lives after he moved back to Indiana.
"I couldn’t ask, " he said. "For a better nine-year experience."
Arizona Bowling News - January 1, 2023