L.C. bowling alley owner confirms he is “voluntarily” shutting down

Citing family tragedy, the owner of the only bowling alley in Las Cruces confirmed to ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom he will close 10 Pin Alley permanently after Saturday.

“We are doing a voluntary shutdown,” said Randy Najar, who said he’s owned the business for nearly nine years. “We’ve had a lot of family tragedy this past year.”

Patrons were still bowling at noon on Thursday, but the vending machines were empty and much of the equipment had been moved out.

“We are pursuing the sale of the place,” Najar said. “We hope we can get it to a good operator. We are in negotiations on that.”

“It’s disappointing because it’s home,” said Karen Milliorn, a director for the Las Cruces Bowling Association. “We’d hoped that the improvements that needed to be made would be made and now we’re hoping that someone will buy it.”

Najar would not confirm how many employees work in the building or if they would lose their jobs. He said he hopes the new owner will maintain the facility as a bowling alley.

“The bowling equipment and the rest of that stuff will stay there,” Najar said. “Naturally, for the people of Las Cruces and the bowling leagues, we hope it does stay a bowling alley, but like I said, we’re pursuing other avenues and looking out for our needs.”

Milliorn told ABC-7 she has been bowling at 10 Pin Alley since 2003. She said the pin-setting machines, the food and the air conditioning needs upgrades.

“This area needs this kind of facility for entertainment and to promote the game of bowling,” Milliorn said. “There’s not a lot of things for kids to do in town. They need that opportunity.”

The 10 Pin Alley management would not allow ABC-7 to record video inside the location. After interviewing Milliorn, a manager asked our news crew to leave the premises.

“There’s a lot of rumors going around and a lot of issues and we’re just trying to do this as quietly as possible,” Najar said.