An East End bowling alley was able to survive the pandemic after getting help from Barstool Sports.

Chris Keller opened The All Star bowling alley in Riverhead in 2012. He says bowling brings together people of all ages.

“This place is a labor of love,” he says. “The All Star is a beautiful family entertainment center, we have 28 lanes of bowling, we have a six-lane VIP room that's great for parties and special events, we host leagues, fundraisers and open play all the time."

Keller says business was thriving until the pandemic hit and the alley had to shut down for five months.

Fortunately, The All Star was chosen by Barstool Sports to receive funds to help them get back in business.

"We were lucky enough to be chosen by Barstool Sports,” Keller says. “The Barstool Fund is a fund that was created by Dave Portnoy to help small businesses— they helped us with a mortgage for several months."

With help from the fund, All Star could reopen in August 2020.  

Keller says since reopening, the business has been able to make changes to ensure everyone can bowl safely, including new sanitization stations and an upgraded filtration system. "I can't even describe how wonderful a feeling it is when you continue to support your business, and people respond by coming back,” Keller says. “I hope that people come here, get to see everything that we've created and really enjoy it and go home happy."

For more information about The All Star, click here.