FLORISSANT, Mo. – St. Louis native and hip-hop star Nelly plans to open an upscale bowling alley in Florissant. The Florissant City Council on Monday approved Derrty Bowling LLC’S request to take over Olympics Lanes on New Halls Ferry road.
“We're putting a lot of money into redoing it, bringing it from the 1970s to today's technology,” said Mike Chaffin, Nelly’s business manager. “Trying to create a kind of a higher, upscale bowling experience…this has been a passion his whole life, and we saw an opportunity when the lanes became available.”
There’s no opening date yet, but Chaffin said renovations should be complete by June. The bowling alley was also approved for a liquor license. The league-oriented facility will be open for those 21 plus from Thursday to Sunday, with open bowling on weekends.
The 11,000-square-foot building will receive $600,000 in renovations, including updated lanes and viewing areas. Chaffin said Brunswick Corporation will fund part of the project, partnering with Nelly for promotional material.
“We'll have music going…just energy and a fun environment. But also there could be serious bowlers,” Chaffin said. “There'll be a variety of different, different league packages... we should have the nicest lanes in St. Louis.”