Skyway Bowl, the last Black-owned bowling alley on Chicago’s South Side, will remain open after a successful GoFundMe campaign, Block Club Chicago reported.
Owner Brunetta Hill-Corley appealed to the community for support due to low patronage, high expenses, and a hefty loan payment due to the pandemic shutdown. Hill-Corley received overwhelming support from locals and Divine Nine organizations, raising more than $17,000 to date. She credited media coverage for sparking the enthusiastic response.
“The article created a viral effect,” Hill-Corley said. “I feel relieved; I’m beyond energized.
… The community, local organizations, nonprofits, schools—people are reaching out for events and social gatherings that will continue to create that next generation of love flowing through this center.”Before the pandemic, Skyway Bowl thrived with a 35-week bowling league of 32 teams. But lockdowns brought business to a halt, forcing Hill-Corley to take out a disaster relief loan, which she is now repaying. The financial strain grew when the business’s tax assessment doubled, adding to an already tight budget.
After two years of closure, the bowling alley has struggled to rebuild its customer base, and league participation has dropped to just 10 teams.
“People feared, people died, leagues broke up, people didn’t come back,” Hill-Corley said. “People don’t want to commit to coming out for a 35-week league like they used to.”
Located at 9915 S. Torrence Ave., Skyway Bowl has deep roots in Chicago’s South Side. The property once belonged to Jacoby Dickens, a successful Black businessman and founder of Seaway Bank, one of Illinois’ largest Black-owned banks. In 2009, the site changed hands and
was last owned by the late Johnnie Hill, Hill-Corley’s father. Since his passing in 2016, his family has continued running the business, with Hill-Corley at the helm, supported by her husband and children.Determined to honor her father’s legacy, Hill-Corley remains committed to keeping Skyway Bowl alive.
“I told him, ‘You’re going home free of mind because I got it,’” she said. “He had a vision for his family to have something other than a 9-to-5. This is our last hurrah.”
The Hill-Corley family wants to fulfill their patriarch’s wishes and serve their community. If Skyway Bowl were to close, South Side residents would have to travel across the city
to the North Side to find a bowling alley.Keith Hamilton, executive director of the Illinois State Bowling Proprietors Association, stressed the importance of keeping the establishment open.
“Skyway is not only a bowling center but a driving force for the community,” he said. “It would be a serious loss for the South Side.”
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