Centre de Quilles 440 closing its doors after three decades

A community hub for all who love bowling, Centre de Quilles 440 in Laval, north of Montreal, is closing its doors after 33 years.

“Like everything, all good things must come to an end and this is it,” says Hirsh Schnayer co-owner of the bowling alley.

Hirsh Schnayer co-owner of Centre de Quilles 440 in Laval (CREDIT: Felisha Adam, CityNews Image)

It’s a sad day for many like the R.E.B.L’s the Retired Educators Bowling League, they’ve been coming to the alley since it opened in 1990.

“We enjoyed it here. We were well treated, and we feel at home, now it’s gone,” said a member of the R.E.B.L’s, another saying “We’re very disappointed. We enjoyed ourselves every week. We look forward to it, and sadly things change.”

The R.E.B.L’s the Retired Educators Bowling League. (CREDIT: Felisha Adam, CityNews Image)

Bustling with regulars, the bowling centre will soon be demolished and turned into condo towers – something, Schnayer says, is bittersweet.

“There’s always going to be memories and things like that,” says Schnayer, “the problem is that I’m 68. My partner is 70. None of our kids were really interested in getting into the business, and the money was just too good to refuse.”
While bowling will remain part of Schnayer’s everyday life, he says after 33 years he’s looking forward to retiring.

“I’ll be really sad when they turn this building down, and they start to build other buildings, but that’s progress,” he says.

But for those who have been there from the start, they’re bowling, one of their very last games at the alley scheduled to close on April 30th.

“It’s a place of socializing where you meet your friends,” says a regular Norman Renaud “there were all types of leagues …so it was a special place, definitely. . We’ll be missing it, that’s for sure.”

“I hope that a lot of people have a lot of good memories of this place. If that’s the case, I’m very happy,” says Schnayer.