WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- The sign on the door of Stanton Lanes says 'Closed For Vacation' but the closure is permanent.
A man who answered the phone at the business told Newswatch 16 he could not comment on the reason, but confirmed the place is shut down effective immediately.
Stanton Lanes opened in the late 1950's with 50 lanes.
"It was always the biggest place in town, the most lanes," said Daniel Chacko of Chacko’s Family Bowling Center in Wilkes-Barre.
Now that Stanton Lanes has closed, Chacko's Family Bowling Center is the only one left in Wilkes-Barre.
"It was a shock to everybody here, it's not a good thing when a small business in the area closes anytime, anytime a small business closes. And it's not really good for the sporty of bowling when one closes, there's not a lot of them,” said Kara Hodorowski of Chacko’s.
Bowlers told Newswatch 16 they do not know the exact reason Stanton Lanes closed, but they do know the building was in need of repairs and upgrades.
"I knew that Stanton Lanes I believe still had wooden lanes. I knew it was a well-established, long-established lanes and it was fun, it was almost a throwback, it was just nice to there are different lanes in the area and that's too bad," said Woody Grabiec of Avoca.
Rick Mrak has bowled for years.
He bowls with his grandson now at Chacko's but has spent a lot of time over the years in Stanton Lanes.
"That has more lanes than anyone around here and they could have done a lot with that place, so it's sad to see it go. Maybe somebody else will come and buy it," he said.