Inside look at uptown bowling alley

The EpiCentre’s developers want you to know that StrikeCity won’t be a typical down and dirty, smoke-filled bowling alley with plastic seats and grimy floors.

Instead, think a two-level, upscale sports bar, nightclub and restaurant all in one. Then add to that 30 lanes of bowling.

Construction on the first floor of the 30,000-square-foot space is set to start this spring.

The first floor will include 18 bowling lanes, two full-service bars, billiards tables, a dance floor and a DJ booth. Six of the lanes will be in private rooms that can be rented for parties, corporate events and other functions. The second floor will include an additional 12 bowling lanes.

Bob Durkin of Bar Management Group, which is managing the entertainmant/restaurant concepts in the EpiCentre, promises StrikeCity will be a "fun, interactive experience" for people of all ages.

But the party will definitely pick up at night with more of an adult atmosphere, said Rob Pedlow of Landmark Leisure Group.

StrikeCity will also appeal to sports fans with its ultimate video wall, Durkin said. The wall, about 70 feet long, will have about 10-12 jumbo flat screens separated by dozens of smaller TV screens in the 50-inch range. Also running along the wall, a sports ticker offering up-to-the-minute scores on all the big games. And if that’s not enough, settle into one of the plush booths behind each lane and watch the big screens above each set of 10 pins.

StrikeCity is slated for an early fall opening. It may be upscale, but there’s one grimy thing even the nicest bowling alley can’t avoid – those slightly damp shoes.