By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- The old Shula's 31 Bowling alley is under new ownership and currently receiving a facelift that aims to make the building a popular Niles hangout again.
Niles natives Mark and Gayle Godsey, who now live in Buchanan, bought the building in November and have been working vigorously to convert it into a new look bowling alley and a restaurant/bar.
Along with the new ownership comes a new name, Joey Armadillo's, an old college alias that Mark Godsey used to joke around with.
In addition to providing 24 bowling lanes, Godsey said the restaurant and bar will also be a focal point of the new business.
Godsey's plans for the restaurant include a wood-fired pizza oven, a small dance floor and a stage area for live blues and maybe an occasional comedian.
Since December, he has been busy replacing everything in the building except for the pin setters and the lanes, which had to be sanded and reconditioned.
The bowling alley now features a brand new paint job, new glow-in-the-dark carpeting, a large stereo system, laser lights and a fog system for "cosmic bowling." And those are just a few of the improvements.
Godsey, who used to own McCoy Concrete in Niles, decided to buy the building because he wanted to do something different.
Godsey said the bowling alley should be open for business in about three weeks, but still has a lot of work to do on the restaurant, which he hopes to open this July.
He has hired Scott Sachman, who managed the old Shula's for 20 years, to run the bowling alley portion of Joey Armadillo's.
Godsey is trying to cater the bowling alley to be a place for family entertainment and a place that meets the needs of serious league bowlers.
He is also happy to see a re-emergence of business in Niles Township and is excited about the prospects of the business' location at 2732 S. 11th St..
He gave examples of this growth by pointing to a new strip mall going up next door this fall, a new Lowe's, the Super Walmart expansion, and improvements and additions being made to the Campbell Ford dealership and Selge Construction across the street.