Courtesy / Justin Alfond
Bayside Bowl co-founders Charlie Mitchell, left, and Justin Alfond. Mitchell became sole managing owner of the business on Valentine’s Day.
Updated: February 26, 2020
In Portland, a Bayside Bowl partner buys out the other
Courtesy / Tom Couture Weddings
Bayside Bowl’s expansion in 2017 was a game-changer, said Charlie Mitchell, who became sole managing owner of the business on Valentine’s Day.
Bayside Bowl’s long-time managing partner, Charlie Mitchell, announced Tuesday he is now the sole managing owner of the Portland bowling center and entertainment venue after buying out his business partner of 10 years, co-founder Justin Alfond.
“The first 10 years of Bayside Bowl have exceeded all expectations,” Mitchell said in a news release. “I look forward to continuing the growth of the business and our incredible bowling community.”
Alfond said, "It was an honor helping bring Bayside Bowl into reality and build it into one of the best bowling facilities in the world. I decided that after a decade, it was time for me to step back and focus my attention on other priorities, like ending child hunger in Maine. As a fan and customer, I can't wait to see what the next 10 years have in store for Bayside Bowl."
Terms of the buyout were not disclosed.
Mitchell told Mainebiz the buyout, finalized Feb. 14, was timely.
“It’s been my day-to-day job for 10 years,” he said. “It’s something I envision myself doing for a long time.”
The venue’s 25,000-square-foot, $3.5 million expansion in 2017 was a game-changer, he said. It allowed the venue, which opened at 58 Alder St. in Portland in 2010, to add eight bowling lanes to its existing 12. In addition to its existing main bar and restaurant, Bayside gained a mezzanine with full bar, an old-school arcade, a rooftop bar with a taco truck and fire pit, and a 422-panel roof-mounted solar energy array.
“The expansion changed everything in terms of evening out the season,” said Mitchell. “It was a very seasonal business Now we’re pretty consistent across the board, so business is much more predictable and it’s easier to keep staff year-round.”
He expects that momentum to continue.
“We’re constantly making tweaks and adding new programming,” he said. “There might be a few renovations coming in the spring. Other than that, we’ll just keep growing.”
Alfond credited Mitchell as a great leader for the business.
“He’s built a wonderful staff and a loyal following of bowling fans across the country,” Alfond told Mainebiz. “The bowling league that he started 13 years ago, called Bowl Portland, is known throughout the country for how you can bring great bowling for all people, all genders, and all ages together for a competitive and social environment, where there’s a DJ playing and people are having a great time.”
Bowl Portland has proven so popular that there’s even a waiting list to join, he noted.
Photo / Tim Greenway
Bayside Bowl in Portland has been an active bowling and entertainment venue since it opened in 2010.
Today, Alfond said, Bayside Bowl has components that attract a variety of customers, from bowling to live music and rooftop gatherings.
“The sky’s the limit for Charlie and his team for the coming decades,” he said.
The two started Bayside Bowl when both were single, he noted.
“We were in a very different place,” Alfond said. “It’s been an amazing adventure with Charlie and with the community and bowlers around the world coming to Bayside Bowl. I just felt it was time for me to step back and pass the full baton to Charlie.”
Alfond said he’ll focus on a nonprofit he co-founded in 2014 with John Woods, and now serves as co-director, called Full Plates Full Potential.
The organization works to break down barriers to food access that often exist in schools by empowering them to change the way they serve their meals and making food more accessible to hungry kids.
As for Bayside Bowl, Alfond said he has no intention of missing out.
“From day one I’ve been a loyal customer and fan,” he said. “I will continue to be there, bowling and listening to music and watching the beautiful sunsets from the rooftop.”
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