Many dreams start with “what if.”
Take the long-closed six-lane bowling alley in downtown Osakis. What if someone opened that up again?
Bryan and Tonya Danielson drove by that place dozens of time. The question was posed: Would the Danielsons be interested in buying that old dilapidated property?
“When Bryan and I first talked about it, we said no.” Tonya said. “The bank owned the building and it was in pretty rough shape.” And despite lots of remodeling experience, they had never taken on a commercial building.
But what if?
What if they bought it, fixed it up and sold it? Or what if they operated it? Tonya’s office job had grown stale, so she was open to a new challenge. When their kids heard about the idea, the possibilities really took off.
“Our kids thought it was a great idea and when they shared their Osakis bowling alley childhood memories with us, I just knew that if those experiences meant a lot to my kids, they would be meaningful to kids today. Good memories are made of experiences like bowling.”
Honey, I bought a bowling alley!
“I wanted to open a coffee shop, but I would drink away the profits,” she laughs. “Life takes you on different ventures,” she continued over lunch in the newly opened Bowling Barn & Grill.
The facility was in such disrepair that Tonya initially was hesitant to show her parents what they had bought. Yet having grown up in a small town, she believed that people would help. Her instincts were spot on.
“I was asking for advice from day one and talked to the State, to Douglas County, sharing ideas and getting others involved.” She gives a special shout out to Doug, the county’s health inspector, who was “very positive and supportive.”
“Osakis is booming, it is thriving,” she said. “I couldn’t have opened this in another town and gotten the reaction I’ve gotten. There’s something about this area that everybody supports everybody.”
Tonya gives that advice for new business owners. “I would recommend being involved in the community you are in. The most important thing is to get community support.
“I like seeing happy people,” she continues. “Families spending time together. I want this to be a place where everyone feels welcome.”
Tonya’s first real promotion with the Bowling Barn can help people connect more with each other. The “Barn Bucket Challenge” offers a free desert with a meal purchase to anyone who places their digital device in a bucket, which is then placed behind the bar. An outside patio, the Barnyard, will host music and various events throughout the warmer months.
And if things get slow? “I have a wild card up my sleeve for those times,” Tonya smiles. “We have to do something different.”
As if opening your own bowling alley wasn’t different enough!
Now we know the “what if” of Osakis. “It was just a crazy idea that we had and went with it. It’s just us. I don’t see it as anything spectacular, but people do. And I love it.”
