Skip to content

Time Traveller: Bowling was big back in the mid-20th century

Inman's Bowling Salon and Coffee Bar was a hot spot on North Vancouver's Lonsdale Avenue for decades
Inmans Bowling

Inman's Bowling Salon and Coffee Bar, shown in this photo from the 1970s, was located at 403 Lonsdale Ave. 

Bowling was a very popular all-ages sport in the middle of the 20th century. During this bowling boom, there were several bowling centres located on the North Shore. 

Inman's once touted itself as “The North Shore headquarters for 5 pin bowling.” The bowling salon was built around 1940 by Sid Croll at the northwest corner of Lonsdale and Fourth Street. Walt Inman bought the centre three years later and re-named it Inman’s Bowling. Bud Cawsey was the next operator for 11 years, starting in 1958, after which time Ron France took over operations, followed by France’s daughter and son-in-law Ron and Chris Alexis in the early 1970s.  

Visit the MONOVA website for more information about the history of the North Shore and to plan your visit to MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver now open at 115 West Esplanade in The Shipyards.

Currently, MONOVA: Archives of North Vancouver at 3203 Institute Road in Lynn Valley is open by appointment only. Contact: archives@monova.ca

Navigate culture on the North Shore by using the North Shore Culture Compass.