Transcription of Charlie Mitchell for the show Old Port Winter Wellness #170
Lisa: This is Dr. Lisa Belisle and you are listening to Love Maine Radio. Show number 170 airing for the first time on Sunday December 14th, 2014. Today’s theme is Old Port Winter Wellness. What do Portland area citizens and visitors do when the whether turns chilly? Enjoy a broad range of activities both indoors and out. Today we speak with Bayside Bowl co-founder Charlie Mitchell, Kara Wooldrik of Portland Trails and Lynn Tillotson of the Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau. Listen to our discussion for ideas about your next winter wellness outing. Thank you for joining us.
Recently I spent a Saturday afternoon in quite a lovely and fun place known as Bayside Bowl. I’m not really a bowler but I enjoyed the vibe of this place and I really think that people who haven’t spent time there will want to go there after they have … After they listen to this conversation that I have with Charlie Mitchell who’s the co-owner of Bayside Bowl here in Portland. Thank you so much for coming and having a conversation with me.
Charlie: No problem. Thanks for having me.
Lisa: Charlie did you think you were going to own a bowling alley when you were growing up?
Charlie: No. Absolutely not. I bowled once a year on my birthday. I think a lot of people it’s about their limit of their exposure to bowling and I had a career in law and politics going. When I moved back to Maine I was just looking for something to give me through the winter, those concern about coming back to the Maine winter and started a bowling league modeled on Portland long running Ultimate Frisbee League and it’s nice because on a Tuesday or Thursday in the middle of the week people go out with their friends and do something athletic and then hangout.
It keeps you busy, it keeps you seeings your friends and in the winter I was very concern about that disappearing. I started a little bowling league with my sister and after the first year of only 12 teams, the second year we had 26 and the third year we had 32 and there are several hundred people bowling. I wanted to build a place for that community but certainly had zero expectations going into it. It was just something I thought I would make the winters a little more fun and it turned into a lifestyle.
Lisa: That is a big leap between law and politics and Bayside Bowling.
Charlie: Yeah, it is a enormous leap. When I was working in DC, I was at the ACLU Center [inaudible 00:04:25] the Patriot Act in Guantanamo privacy issues. I also started the ACLU softball team and it actually … As much the lobbying work was important the softball team brought the office together in the way that hadn’t been working and I think increase the effectiveness of the organization. What I enjoyed the most about it is created … I did write ups each of the games and made everyone out to be heroes and created softball names for everyone.
A lot of that spilled over into this bowling league. It’s definitely a wild transition but parts of what lead me to do the bowling were existing even when I was in the career.
Lisa: From what I understand if you are a bowler you actually have a handle?
Charlie: Yeah, pretty much. That’s the tradition at Bayside Bowl. If everyone bowls under a bowling name and it sticks with you to the point where when you’re at Bayside Bowl the waitresses know you by that name, everyone knows you by that name and most people are in my phone by their bowling names. It’s hard to remember everybody’s both names but …
Lisa: What is your bowling name?
Charlie: I bowl as Karl Hungus. It’s actually Big Lebowski reference, it’s a small role in the movie.
Lisa: Anybody who wants to understand this better will have to go watch the Big Lebowski?
Charlie: Yeah, I think they’ll find it out and see give the movie another watch.
Lisa: You have an interesting partner Justin Alfond who’s been on the show and who we profiled in Old Port Magazine previously. He is a state senator. He’s also got a background in politics. You met in New Orleans I believe?
Charlie: We didn’t meet in New Orleans, we both just … We lived in New Orleans at the same time. We actually met back in Maine and just had that in common and had discussions about that. We had a number of things in common obviously the political world in New Orleans. He had joined the league and we just had a really good time hanging out and talking about the league. As the idea hatched to build a home for the league Justin was the first person I talked to.
Lisa: What about New Orleans was such an interesting connection for you?
Charlie: I think in Justin’s discussion with you and one of the places that we both went to frequently in New Orleans is a place called Mid City Lanes and it’s famous for … It’s called Rock n’ Bowl and they had great bands there all the time and decent food and bowling. It was just the combination of those things that I think we had seen a place we both admired. When the idea for a home for this league came about I think he and I can both see the same vision.
Lisa: It is interesting because I think in my very limited bowling experience I think I was with the Yarmouth Town Summer Recreation Program. Once the summer we went to just a very straight forward bowling alley with the smelly shoes or maybe not smelly shoes but there wasn’t … I don’t know. Part of the thing about it was I didn’t feel that fun to me because I didn’t love the bowl, I didn’t love the sport. When I went to visit your … When I went to visit Bayside Bowl I noticed immediately it’s very welcoming. You can be a bowler or not a bowler.
When you go off to one side there’s a large open room which I know people have engagement showers. They have … When I was there there was a baby shower, there are people with their blue balloons. There’s a spot for families to eat, some people are watching football games as a bright open bar. Great food, really great food, I was so impressed because I was eating this vegetarian chilly I’m like, “Wow,” place that combined many different elements. Were these things important to you?
Charlie: Absolutely. We were just hosting a wedding rehearsal dinner on Friday. We wanted to open up a place with great food. Part of that just from the fact that league bowlers are in the same place multiple times a week. You got to give them good food and any business in Portland trying to serve food. The standards here are really high and we wanted to be a part of that. Our first year we’re open we won the Phoenix’s New Restaurant Award, we won the Kitchen Cook Off in WMPG a few times in row.
We take the food part of our business incredibly seriously and a lots of times people do just come and have dinner or sit at the bar. The music side of things has been a learning curve figuring out what [nitch 00:09:07] to fill in the Portland music scene. I think we really gotten into a place where we’re comfortable. We do a live music now at least on every Saturday and often times on Fridays. We do have DJs throughout the week on the land which is pretty nice.
As a lot of Portland slows down for the winter that’s when Bayside Bowl ramps up and it’s in all of those areas. Basically all of those are extremely important to us. One thing that differentiates us from any other bowling center in the country is there is a wave or a trend of these boutique bowling alleys and Lucky Strikes and Splitsville’s and Kings as some of the chains that are out there. Even Brooklyn Bowl to an extent which is fantastic center now they have one in Las Vegas and one in London. They have great music and great food.
What we’re doing differently than all of the new boutique bowling alleys is we’re taking our bowling extremely seriously. We’re sanctioned by all of the official bowling governing bodies. We host leagues. The lanes are perfectly conditioned and even this year in March we’re hosting the Professional Bowlers Association which will be a first time that they’ve ever come to Maine. Will have ESPN at the place for a few days. That’s I think what Bayside unique nationally is that we’re doing the food and music as well as we can and ended up standard we think lives up to Portland’s expectations and then also doing the world class bowling.
Lisa: How many different leagues do you have?
Charlie: We have a number of leagues. We have … There’s a Monday night league and a Wednesday night league and it’s renew every 10 weeks. We have a restaurant league on Sunday nights, we have a media league that plays, we have multiple business leagues throughout the season, we have the draft league. The league that built Bayside Bowl is called Bowl Portland and that was the one that we started in 2007 with I guess 12 team, 2008 12 teams and now there’s the home league of Bayside Bowl. If you go in and you look on lane one you’ll see the giant banners for the championships of that leagues and it’s the house league.
Lisa: How many people would you estimate bowl at Bayside Bowl over the course of a year?
Charlie: That will be almost impossible to name. In a given season the league bowlers probably number around 500 but then on any Friday or Saturday you have two to 300 people come through and may only be there once a year. There’s thousands and thousands and thousands of people are bowling and what is nice is you do get a lot of people who haven’t bowled in years and they’ve given up on it. Then they see Bayside Bowl realized that they can take this hobby backup within a nice environment with good food and clean place and they come back to the sport. Then other people are there just to have a drink and bowl and maybe we’ll see them again next year.
Lisa: I like that fact that it’s something that families can do together. It seems as though we’ve entered into this weird parallel play thing where kids have kid sports and then adults have triathlons and never the two shall meet. When you’re at Bayside Bowl it’s really, I don’t know ecumenical, it’s a very … It’s a place where … It doesn’t really … You can all connect because bowling doesn’t necessarily require a certain age or heft.
Charlie: No, it’s true. You see multi generational groups a millions all the time and then if you go to Bayside Bowl from open to close on a Saturday you really see everything. It often start with a seven year old’s birthday party and then you’ve got people in there with their grandkids and then you’ve got the one crowd and you’ve got people coming in at night for a bar. You got every age group and it’s pretty nice, it’s one of the few places I think that exists like that.
Lisa: Why is this is important to you that you provide this place where people can be social? Why was it important when you’re working with the ACLU and created the softball league that fostered this community? What it is about all of these that speaks to you?
Charlie: I think I enjoy it myself and I know that it brings a lot of joy to a lot of people. It’s community building and it’s in an environment that’s open to everyone it’s not tends with a lot of conflict. It’s just bowling but it’s a great community. I just love having that. I built that in DC and I try to do that here. It’s just a wonderful group and now the people I know from bowl Portland know every aspect of my life there. Worked with them professionally and lots of realms and they’re some of my best friends and it’s a great community. To give that group a home is really rewarding. These are people I assume and this is a sport you don’t have to give up. As you age I can be bowling with these guys for the next 30 years.
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Lisa: You grew up in Maine?
Charlie: Yeah, I grew up in Vassalboro.
Lisa: You’re mother was a state legislator and you chose to come back here and that Vassalboro was not a huge place. You went to DC, you came back. What was the draw?
Charlie: I left Maine … I guess I’ve left three times. I’ve always come back. I lived in Boston, I lived in New Orleans, I lived in DC, I did love New Orleans. I’ve never been anywhere that felt like home other than Maine. I just have always love the people. I love the out doors I’ve grown up in Central Maine being outside and coming to a city like Portland. Which I got to experience a lot when I went to law school I was in Portland with decent amount. During that stretch I fell in love with the city.
Just being able to get to Moosehead Lake in three hours and to be in the woods in an hour in canoeing and it’s just … I’ve loved the outdoors in Maine, I love the people of Portland and I couldn’t wait to get back. I like my job in Washington but as soon as I have the opportunity come home I did.
Lisa: I met, I believe he’s the manager, the other day when I was there, Adam?
Charlie: Adam, yeah.
Lisa: He’s worked there from the beginning from what I understand. He speaks very highly of the place. He also had other experiences came back. For him it seemed like there was a really … There was a sense of price and the sense of ownership in the sense that what he was doing was important. Is this something that is common with the people that work at Bayside Bowl?
Charlie: Yeah, we’re a family there. I think it’s relatively rare within the industry but four of our six servers have been there for all four years. Everyone who works in the bar has been there for all four years. The kitchen manager and mechanic have been there for over three years. The events manager has been there all four years. People love being at Bayside and I think everyone is important part of the community there and part of what Bayside Bowl is its staff. That’s what people come there for not only to see their friend in the lanes but to see their friends at the bar and to see their friends in the kitchen and it’s a great community.
Our has been offered health care since the beginning which I also think is rare in the industry and people have sick time and paid vacation. It’s a good working environment but also just a family and we all work really well together.
Lisa: Did it give you pause to realize that you are building something that didn’t already exist Maine and actually in a location in Portland that maybe wasn’t at that time as up and coming as it has become?
Charlie: The fact that it was new didn’t give me any pause whatsoever that just made it even more exciting because I knew this would be a place that people would enjoy. Going into Bayside it was a … It was just a happy coincidence. We had looked at another location that the agreement that we thought we had didn’t work out and it was in the week after trying to get our heads around the new plan. I was just driving by that location and saw the for lease sign. I have known that building because I gone there and played video games and looked at the pool tables.
Going in there it’s just felt right immediately and Ross was very supportive of our project when he still own the building. I think we just … We’re very fortunate to find that building. The building is really a part of the character of the business in a way that I don’t think any other location would have been.
Lisa: You founded Bayside Bowl four years ago and there’s always the of course the excitement of a new business. Then there’s the out in the future the hopeful on going success but in the meantime there is just some grit and determination and showing up everyday and making the right decisions and being dedicated to your vision. I feel like that maybe where you are right now?
Charlie: When Bayside open I was living upstairs. I had a foldout couch above the business and was working seven days a week as much as I could going to sleep after the shift and getting back up and getting back at it. Certainly takes that in the beginning to get the business running. In terms of thinking about Bayside’s future we have so much to improve everyday and you can always work and making things run better and making a better experience for people. We are really excited as I mentioned about where we’re hosting our first national PBA tournament at the end of year something we’re really looking forward to and building towards.
We hope to eventually be able to expand the location. It’s very frustrating that turn people away and they want to just come in and bowl. We’re looking to do that and at some point in the future anyway we’d like to add to our capabilities and bring in a little more space, a few more lanes.
Lisa: It continues to bring you enough joy and satisfaction that you can’t help but want to keep doing it.
Charlie: I love this job and able to … I feel grateful and lucky everyday. I think I can’t be that.
Lisa: Charlie, how can people find out about Bayside Bowl and all the things that are offered there?
Charlie: Our webpage is www.baysidebowl.com and you can reach us at 791-BOWL on the phone. To make any direct request to us you can email us at [email protected].
Lisa: I encourage people to spend some time thinking about bowling or hosting a baby shower or having some great foods. Stopping in for a great drink. It’s really … It’s a wonderful place and I appreciate the fact that you’re bringing some winter fun, a year round fun to the people of Portland. We’ve been speaking with Charlie Mitchel who is the co-owner of Bayside Bowl. Congratulations on your success thus far and hope for even greater success in the future.
Charlie: Okay. Thank you very much.