Lucky Jack's to Close Its Doors

After a 63-year family run, Lucky Jack's - previously Timber Lanes - is closing its doors in Traverse City. David Mohrhardt and his family announced in a Facebook post Friday that the bowling alley on Garfield Avenue has sold its property to Serra Auto and will close September 28.

"After many failed attempts to sell the center for the last four years that would enable bowling to continue at this location, an unexpected solid offer came from Serra Auto and the deal was closed on September 18," Mohrhardt wrote in the post, saying the "time for retirement has come." The Mohrhardt family operated Timber Lanes Bowling for decades on US-31 next to Meijer. After closing that site in 1998, the family purchased Wildwood Bowling Center on Garfield Avenue and reopened it as Timber Lanes, later rebranding to Lucky Jack's.

Lucky Jack's will officially close its doors at 10pm on September 28. According to the post, all Lucky Jack's locker rentals, pre-paid bowling fees, prize funds, and game/gift cards will be fully refundable. After closing, access to the building will be available to retrieve personal items Monday-Friday from 12pm-6pm on September 30-October 4 and October 7-11. "Your understanding during this transition is greatly appreciated, and we will truly miss all of you," Mohrhardt wrote.

The Facebook announcement Friday generated significant social media buzz, with many bowlers lamenting the loss of the alley for leagues, youth bowling, and more. Other area bowling alleys said they would try to fill the gap. According to owner Chris Mohrhardt, operations will continue as usual at Incredible Mo's in Grawn. "We'll absolutely do our best to welcome and accommodate area league bowlers, and are already engaged in conversations with them," he tells The Ticker.

Bellaire Lanes & Games also addressed the impending closure of Lucky Jack's in a Facebook post. "Since we’ve already been receiving calls after today’s news, yes we do have more availability for league bowling in Bellaire," the business posted. "Day leagues, second shifts, and weekends are all possible. Feel free to contact us, or hopefully any of the other remaining centers in the region can accommodate. Unfortunately there’s not too many left, especially the size of Jack’s - which makes today’s news even more hard to hear for the bowling community."