Redbird Alley, the new business that moved into the building where Ranch House Lanes used to be outside of Darlington on Highway 23, is up and running, and according to new owners Melissa Gollmer and Jeremy Mullen, it’s been going well since the Feb. 12 opening date.
    “Things have been going really good,” said Gollmer. “It’s been a lot of work and we had some hoops to jump through to get it going, but it’s all been worth it.”
    Gollmer and Mullen said it’s been a long time dream of theirs to own their own business, and when the opportunity came along to take over the business, they jumped on it.
    Since opening, Redbird Alley has hosted several bowling tournaments, birthday parties, bridal showers and other events of that type with the first big party taking place at Redbird Alley on Feb. 14, just days after it opened.
    Redbird Alley is definitely a business that personifies family and community, with everyone currently working and helping out with the business being a relative of some sort.
    Both Gollmer’s and Mullen’s children are all helping out with the business as they can, with Gollmer’s two oldest: Samantha and Wyatt being the most involved.
    “It’s definitely a family business,” explained Gollmer. “We have the same faces here everyday that customers can rely on to be here all of the time.”
    Regarding the name of the business—Redbird Alley—Gollmer said they wanted to keep the Redbird theme that is associated so much with Darlington.
    “All of our kids go to school in Darlington and we wanted to have that connection evident,” said Gollmer.
    Gollmer explained that the goal for Redbird Alley is to be a place where people can bring their kids and families to have a good time and also relax themselves.
    “There’s not a whole lot in the area for kids to do, and we want to be a place where kids can come to have fun that’s also a great place for adults as well,” said Gollmer.
    With summer approaching, Redbird Alley will be offering $1 bowling everyday. During winter $1 games were only available on Fridays. Moonlight bowling is also available.
    Redbird Alley hosts league bowling on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and Gollmer said there are currently open spots for teams available if anyone is looking to sign up.

Gollmer said that they have also been looking into some new ideas such as potentially hosting a “Learn to Bowl” class for all ages for those who want to improve their skills, or setting up volleyball, horseshoes and bags tournaments during the summer, depending on interest from the community.

“If anyone is interested in those types of things, they should be sure to let us know,” said Gollmer. “We want to provide fun activities like that, but we need the interest to be there.”

Redbird Alley is also happy to host private events and parties such as graduation, bridal showers baby showers, birthday parties and more. There are facilities available for events both upstairs and downstairs in the building, although the downstairs facilities are not currently handicap accessible.

“People can bring in their own food, or we can provide that if they want,” said Gollmer. “We like to work with people.”
Anyone with questions about holding any type of event at Redbird Alley can call 776-3171 for more information. Redbird Alley can also be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Redbird-Alley.

Redbird Alley is closed on Tuesdays, but is open at 11 a.m. every other day of the week until closing, which can change depending on how busy the business is. Some days that’s around 7 or 8 p.m., but they’ve stayed open until bar time when the place has been busy in the past.

Bowling is available during all open hours, and so is the grill.

Redbird Alley has daily lunch specials, happy hour from 3-6 p.m. and different drink specials on the weekends.