MASSENA — As the St. Lawrence Centre mall looks to position itself as an entertainment center under new ownership, a local entrepreneur wants to be a part of that effort.
Carl Zender is working to bring a 36-lane bowling alley to the former Sears location and he’s also envisioning a cosmic roller rink in another area of the mall.
Mr. Zender, owner of Zender Enterprises, is well-known in Massena as the dancing Salvation Army bell ringer. And, he said, it’s through that effort that he has talked to people and listened to their concerns about the area, including the lack of entertainment and jobs. His goal with the bowling alley and roller rink is two-fold — to bring some entertainment activity to the region and to bring jobs with it.
“With these two, I hope there are a lot of jobs,” he said.
Mr. Zender, 68, said he’s supposed to be retired, but can’t quite get into that mode.
“I’m always trying to get this going,” he said.
He has some investors lined up who he said could bring in an initial $800,000 toward the cost of the bowling alley, which he wants to concentrate on before the roller rink. He said 20 percent of the profits would go back to the community.
“I’m focusing on getting the bowling alley going first. The investors are supposed to be coming Friday,” he said. “I’m trying to get more investors.”
He has also reached out to and is waiting to hear from Brunswick, which bills itself as “the world’s leader in building new centers and modernizing existing centers.”
His plan for what he’s calling “Saint Lawrence Seaway Bowl #2” includes 36 lanes, including five pins for Canadian bowlers. He’s also thinking about a pro shop that would sell balls, clothing, shoes and bags and could drill balls. In addition, Mr. Zender would like to include a dining and bar area, bumper bowling for kids, cosmic lights bowling, tournaments and house leagues that could involve men, women and high school teams, complete with trophies and scholarships.
He’s also thinking about other facets, too, such as transportation from the airport and motel and hotel accommodations.
He said he wants to dedicate a section of the bowling alley to long-time Massena sports supporter, Louis Trevino, who passed away in May 2011.
“I’ve been thinking about these things for many, many years,” Mr. Zender said.
He would also like to see a Cosmic Roller Rink built in another area of the mall. He said it would be for roller bladers as well as roller skaters.
Like the bowling alley, Mr. Zender said he has plenty of ideas for the roller rink, including bringing in Roller Derby teams and offering cosmic skating and dance-offs.