Bowling alley coming to Lower Bricktown; condos pre-sold

[Joe Kimball]

It looks like they are good on inspections. They won't be open this weekend though since they will be preparing to open next week (probably wednesday). The place will have 10 lanes. They would have preferred more, but there was only space for 10. I got to take a sneak peak this week and the place is looking very cool.

A couple of questions---these are real USBC sanctioned bowling alleys---er, lanes--- and not the string pinsetter type that you see at Incredible Pizza, right? If they are indeed normal lanes, any idea what machines and equipment they have (AMF, Brunswick, et al.)?

[Easy180]

I walked by RedPin yesterday while I was in Bricktown catching a movie and they have signs up on the doors saying that they will be open this Wednesday, Nov 21st.

I did the same...Looking through the windows the place looks really cool...I'm sure that place will get throttled once they open

Probably be at least an 8 beer wait for one of the lanes

btw...If any of your spouses ask you to go to see Fred Claus...Do anything humanly possible to get out of it

[Flyfish23]

I do know that the lanes are regulation and certified, but I don't know what kind of machines they use.

[ouguy23]

After watching Hitman at Harkins yesterday, my friend and I went over to Red Pin to check it out, since it had just opened. There were people in there playing already and the place looked AMAZING! The place is very chic looking and def. a plus for Bricktown and Oklahoma City. The attention to detail was good and looks like something you would see in Chicago or New York. The place turns to 21 and up at 10pm and stays open till 2am. All the employees were very nice we were given a tour of the place by one of the servers. My friends and I are def. going to be making the trek from Norman to this place on the weekend.

[jdsplaypin]

I also checked it out yesterday. Very nice addition for OKC.

[Luke]

Is the starbucks open yet?

[betts]

I heard the Starbucks was scheduled to open December 15.

[jbrown84]

Where is the Starbucks going? Street level or canal level?

[CCOKC]

Street level north side facing Sheridan.

[jbrown84]

Thanks. I assume you mean Reno?

[CCOKC]

Yes, sorry Reno it is.

[betts]

I drove by today and the Starbucks sign is up. It's located on the northeast corner of the building, street level.

[jbrown84]

Good spot for it.

[metro]

RedPin Bowling Lounge opens in Bricktown’s Centennial Building
The Journal Record
November 28, 2007

OKLAHOMA CITY – After years of planning and preparation, a bowling lounge has opened on the canal level of the Centennial Building residential and retail project in Bricktown.

The RedPin Bowling Lounge is the first tenant in the $15 million Centennial while work continues on rest of the building. With ten bowling lanes, each featuring a red bowling pin, as well as a restaurant and a bar, the project is the brainchild of a group of local investors who saw similar lounges popping up around the country in recent years.

Erin Brewer, managing partner for RedPin, said while bowling is nothing new, she wanted to bring a hip upscale bowling lounge to Bricktown.“It’s really unique,” she said. “There are places that are similar to it in other larger metropolitan areas but there’s really nothing like it in the region” Brewer said she first stumbled on a bowling lounge in Florida that was featured in Southern Living magazine about three years ago.“My husband and I were so intrigued by the idea,” she said. “The more we talked about it the more we realized other people thought it was a good idea.”

Arguably bowling alley food does not have a favorable reputation. Instead, Brewer brought in local chef Robert Black to design a restaurant menu with a generous selection of gourmet entrees and items such as nachos with homemade chips that can easily be eaten while bowling.

And while bowlers and diners are encouraged to move about, Brewer said some people have come solely for dinner. The lounge had a soft opening last week and will hold its grand opening this Friday. Brewer said that in addition to a steady flow of bowlers and diners, RedPin’s phone has been ringing off the hook for months as entities wanted to book holiday parties. Everyone from large energy companies to smaller groups and businesses have reserved private areas in the lounge for events through the end of the year.

The design also played a key part in creating the lounge’s unique feel. A collaboration among Brewer and her husband, Shawn Brewer, J3 Architecture, Fitzsimmons Architecture and Tandem Design Studio came up with a modern look of the lounge.The final product incorporated modern furnishings and fixtures with large screens at the end of the bowling lanes playing music videos and a bar in the center of the space with a surface made from recycled red glass.

Cynthia Harrison, principal with Tandem Design Studio, said her firm was involved from the initial conceptual design through the finished product as part of the collaborative design team. Harrison said Erin Brewer often used the words “warm, cozy and inviting,” to describe her vision of how the lounge should look and feel.“It was a pretty strong team effort on this project,” Harrison said. “We just took the concepts and ran with them.”

The bowling lounge concept originated in recent years in Hollywood, Calif. by a company called Lucky Strike Lanes, which operates several upscale bowling lounges around the country targeted at a hip 20- to 40-year-old demographic.

RedPin is locally owned and not tied in with any other similar lounges around the country. As the lounges have gained popularity, Brewer said many have popped up in urban areas that are in the midst of revitalization. Brewer said that trend made the Centennial a prime spot even if it meant delaying opening the lounge even by a year or more until the building was nearly complete.“We waited for this specific spot because we were so convinced it was right,” she said

[betts]

The menu sounds great. We're planning to do a family evening there when everyone gets home for Christmas. I love the fact that we can diversify our entertainment options downtown. One of my relatives recently told me how much fun they had at the Piano Bar in Austin, too, and was excited when I told her we're getting one in Bricktown too.

[metro]

The Daily Oklahoman had some pictures of the exterior and interior of the lounge. I'm unable to post them but if someone can scan them or has online priveledges, please post them. The exterior shot is neat.

The Red Pin Bowling Lounge In Lower Bricktown, which opened Friday, features bowling lanes with couches, cocktail tables, large video screens, high tech scoring boards and key pads. By Paul B. Southerland, The Oklahoman

[El Gato Pollo Loco!!!]

Can't wait for a chance to bowl it.

[john60]

The menu sounds great. We're planning to do a family evening there when everyone gets home for Christmas. I love the fact that we can diversify our entertainment options downtown. One of my relatives recently told me how much fun they had at the Piano Bar in Austin, too, and was excited when I told her we're getting one in Bricktown too.

When and where is Pete's Piano Bar opening? That place is great! I went to the one in Addison on OU/TX wknd.

[John]

When and where is Pete's Piano Bar opening? That place is great! I went to the one in Addison on OU/TX wknd.

Between Toby's and Earl's on the canal.

When? Well, that's a question for Randy Hogan.

[zuluwarrior0760]

Been checking flickr to see when some good photos will
pop up of this place, and this is the only one so far:

very cool pic:

Redpin on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[wsucougz]

The problem I could see with Redpin's plans of being upscale is that it's going to get overrun with the kids who hang around the courtyard there. Unless I'm missing something.

[jbrown84]

I don't know why they'd hang around that spot when they're not allowed inside and there's nothing next door or anything.

[wsucougz]

I was thinking they would be inside. It's 21 and over, then?

[jbrown84]

It's a club technically, is it not?

[Ginkasa]

Its only 21 and over after 10:00. Before is all ages.