KingPins brings family entertainment to town – Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Fans of arcades, bowling and miniature golf have a new place that offers all three under one roof.

KingPins (formerly Community Bowl) is a bowling alley that also has an arcade; a room that houses glow in the dark miniature golf; a small snack bar and even a mini museum featuring collectible toys, games and lunch boxes from the 1970s and 1980s, according to owner Rex Blisard. The new entertainment center opened at the end of October, Blisard said.

“It’s more than just a bowling alley,” Blisard said. “I would say it’s an experience. Family entertainment at its best.”

Blisard said he would like to eventually have party rooms, expand the arcade and even offer laser tag. Blisard and his wife Courtney were wanting to do some things that will really reach out to the community and offer a place for kids where they can come and be safe he said.

“We can go out here pretty easily and add another 50 feet on the side of this and you know add some birthday rooms and laser tag pretty easily,” Blisard said.

The path to ownership was a funny story, Blisard said. Rick Clark, the previous owner, had spoken with Blisard about selling the bowling alley a few years earlier. Nothing came of it, but Clark sent Blisard a message one day saying he was thinking about selling the bowling alley.

A few days after that Blisard told his wife about Clark’s message and she liked the idea of owning the bowling alley. When the couple started out, they were just going to paint a couple of walls then decided to do a whole different deal which involved Blisard’s collectibles.

“I’ve kind of been a collector my whole life and so I’ve always kind of wanted to have a place to show off my collection and stuff and thought this would be kind of a neat deal,” Blisard said.

He said the collectibles make it feel more like a kind of an experience. There is still tons of stuff in the bowling alley and people could spend all day looking at stuff, Blisard said.

When the Blisards are not at KingPins, they are busy running their full-time business, Born Again Pews, in Kansas, Okla, which manufactures church pews and other church furniture worldwide and pastoring Lifepoint Fellowship in the town of Kansas.

Despite the hectic schedule, Blisard and his family are enjoying building their new business.

“We never thought we’d be owning a bowling alley,” Blisard said. “It was the furthest thing from our minds and here we are killing it.”

Marc Hayot/Herald-Leader King Pins is a bowling alley, but they can also have an arcade and miniature golf room. Kng Pins wants to offer family entertainment to Siloam Springs and the surrounding area.

Marc Hayot/Herald-Leader Owner Rex Blisard thinks the coolest part of King Pins is the glow in the dark mini golf room.

Marc Hayot/Herald-Leader Courtney Blisard (left), is one of the owners of King Pins. She posed in front of her husband’s collectibles with daughter Callieigh Blisard and her husband and co-owner Rex Blisard.

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