Several decades ago, Scott and Janet Holmes first met at a bowling alley in The Woodlands. The couple, who is now married with four adult sons and two grandchildren, became the new owners of Tomball Bowl in August 2013. They have worked long hours to renovate the bowling alley with a family-friendly image.

Tomball Bowl, which has been in business for about 30 years, closed its doors in May 2013 before Janet and Scott purchased it from the previous owner three months later. Last October, the facility reopened to the public with an estimated $750,000 of renovations, such as new bowling lanes, air conditioners, a new roof, display screens and games as well as improvements to the dining and bar areas, Scott said.

"My wife and I had talked to [the previous owner] back in probably 2006 or 2007, and I asked him about buying [Tomball Bowl] but I could never get a straight answer," Scott said. "It got so bad and so run down that I used to bowl here three nights a week, and I quit bowling here."

Janet said she and her husband have been working over the past few months to improve Tomball Bowl's services to keep customers coming back.

"Hopefully they see that it's a clean, fun, safe place to come to," Janet said. "I feel like we have reasonable prices. We tried to keep everything down so it's affordable and a place where they can come with family and friends."

Smoking is prohibited along the main bowling alleys and is only permitted in the bar area under the new vents, Scott said. A game room is under construction and scheduled for completion by the end of summer with a variety of new arcade-style machines, he said.

Tomball Bowl's leagues are seeing higher attendance than in previous years, and the facility is hosting a Professional Bowlers Association regional tournament Sept. 26–28 that is expected to welcome about 300 people, Scott said.

For the upcoming academic year, Scott and Janet are working to implement a bowler's education program and bowling clubs at schools in the area.

"We'd really like to help do fundraisers whether it's for schools or churches or the Boys and Girls Country," Janet said.

A first-time business owner, Scott worked at Southwestern Bell, now AT&T, for 32 years and said he has loved bowling since he was a kid. Scott and Janet said they still share a love of bowling but a heavy renovation schedule has left the couple with little time to play.

"Most people are pleasantly surprised [by the renovations]," Scott said.

Tomball Bowl, 14435 FM 2920, Tomball 281-351-1831, www.tomballbowl.com, Hours: Mon.–Thu. 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.–1 a.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–1 a.m., Sun. 1–10 p.m.