Fans of Thunder Alley, the mammoth bowling and entertainment center in the Elkhorn area, were served a gutter ball Monday as the business abruptly closed its doors less than two years after its ballyhooed grand opening.
The exact circumstances behind the sudden closure were unclear Monday evening. Bowlers and employees arrived at the 86,000-square-foot facility to find darkened windows and locked doors marked with "closed" signs.
Area residents drove through its empty parking lot, curious about what was going on.
Alex Rockwell, a 20-year-old Gretna resident and suddenly former Thunder Alley employee, arrived at work 10 minutes before his six-o'clock shift — and learned he was out of a job.
"I've known for a long time that we were in debt, for the most part," he said. "They didn't tell us that anything was actually wrong."
Steve Sempeck, a former co-owner of the business who now owns Sempeck's Elkhorn Lanes, said his business fielded calls throughout the day Monday about the closing.
"It's sad for the owners," Sempeck said. "I knew them personally. We were doing our best to peacefully co-exist, but the economy has a play in it. You just try to take care of the customers so those with plans don't get left out."
Sempeck said he left the partnership that ran Thunder Alley in December 2007. He was one of four co-owners who opened the business, along with Ted Baer, Doug Laird and Rich Abboud.
Calls to other partners were not immediately returned.
The business boasted 40 bowling lanes, along with a restaurant, arcade, go-kart track and pro shop. It hosted the NCAA women's bowling championships in 2008 and was supposed to host a Professional Bowlers Association pro-am event in June.
Thunder Alley also was supposed to host birthday parties and league bowling on Monday, but befuddled and irritated customers arrived to find that they had no place to bowl.
Cassandra Dirks, a 24-year-old Omahan, said she got word that her summer bowling league was cancelled in a Monday afternoon phone call from a Thunder Alley official.
"They made it sound like they were just closing for the summer," Dirks said.
Bob Johansen, an Omaha resident, said he'd just put a $60 deposit down for his 4-year-old daughter's birthday party, set for later this month.
"She wanted to go bowling," he said. "We're not sure what the heck we're gonna do now."
Sempeck said he has been working with customers who had league bowling or other events booked at Thunder Alley.
"It was a beautiful facility," Sempeck said. "I'm sad to see it close."
• Contact the writer: 444-1068, johnny.perez@owh.com
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