COURTESY KEVIN MCKERNAN
McKernan's family at Epiphany Lanes. McKernan says his wife is integral to the family operations.
Many were heartbroken when, earlier this year, Epiphany Lanes (3164 Ivanhoe Avenue, 314-781-8684) quietly announced that it was closing. The small bowling alley is attached to Epiphany of Our Lord Church and is a south city mainstay.
For some, the news was especially hard hitting. “I live in south city and grew up in south city and love south city,” says business owner Kevin McKernan. “I used to have bowling parties and attend bowling parties at Epiphany Lanes when I was a kid.”
McKernan knew he had to do something, so on June 1 he’s starting a new venture: owner and operator of a bowling alley.
“That’s the kind of crazy stuff I do,” McKernan says.
The moment that led to this changing of the guard came a little more than a month ago when the business manager for the church and Epiphany Lanes decided to retire, says Father Michael Rennier, the pastor for Epiphany of Our Lord church.
“We operate Epiphany Lanes as a break-even thing because we wanted to have it available for the neighborhood,” Rennier says. But hiring a business manager to oversee the eight-lane bowling alley would have meant a loss for the venture. Still, it was a sad choice for the parish.
According to Rennier, Catholic churches across south city historically had bowling alleys.
“We’re the only church that still has one,” he says. And he thinks that Epiphany Lanes is the only bowling alley left in St. Louis city. The lanes host bowling leagues, can be rented out for parties and have some hours for open bowling.
After Rennier reached his decision last month, he told the leagues that the lanes would close at the end of May, which is when the bowling league year ends.
McKernan, who had recently been Googling bowling leagues trying to find one to join, says the magic of the algorithm put a post about the closure in his feed, and he immediately reached out to Rennier.
“He emailed me the day it came out,” Rennier says with a laugh.
The church agreed to lease McKernan the lanes, and he would operate them. McKernan is no stranger to taking over beloved institutions. Three years ago, he took over Donut Drive-In, another favorite spot in south city.
“We’re going to try to do the same thing that we did there, which was not ruin anything that’s already there that people love,” McKernan says.
But McKernan does have plans to make the lanes more accessible. Unless you live in south city, you have probably never heard of Epiphany Lanes. The bowling alley keeps a low profile. McKernan hopes to build a website and social media accounts for the lanes. He also wants to add simple updates, such as the ability to reserve lanes online. (Right now, you have to call.)
The parish, luckily, has a maintenance person who knows how to take care of the lanes and is still going to be around to make repairs. “That’s huge,” McKernan says. With that in place, he’s ready to tackle the remaining challenges of running the business. “Part of the fun is the problem solving of it all. I see it just as a fun puzzle to figure out.”
One issue on the horizon is that the Archdiocese of St. Louis is restructuring its parishes with the All Things New strategic plan. As of right now, Epiphany of Our Lord church is slated to join a pastorate that includes St. James the Greater in Dogtown and St. Ambrose on the Hill. What that means remains to be seen, but the Archdiocese approved McKernan’s lease.
For those nervous that McKernan will increase prices to make the bowling alley more slick and less homey, be at ease. McKernan understands the assignment.
“It’s a relic from the 1950s, and people love it,” McKernan says. “It maybe needs some TLC, but I love that we have a chance to be a part of something that has a long history and meant something to me as a kid, and I think can bring people back together at a time when it’s more important than ever.”
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