Bowlski’s in El Jebel, Colo., declared bankruptcy on Sunday but will keep its lanes open and the beer flowing as it works to reorganize its debts under chapter 11, according to co-owner and operator Craig Spivey, the Aspen Times reported. “It really comes down to the back rent we owe from during COVID” Spivey said Tuesday. “We’re current with everybody else, but we’re behind on our rent for when we closed during COVID.” Spivey was yesterday about the future of the bowling alley, which opened in 1992 under the ownership of the Stecklein family. Spivey and other investors acquired the El Jebowl business — but not the building — in 2016. While they changed the alley’s name to Bowlski’s, El Jebowl LLC is the corporate name for the business. The bankruptcy case is in its early stages, and a telephonic meeting of creditors is scheduled Feb. 7, according to court documents. The company’s bankruptcy petition lists Bowlski’s assets between $50,001 and $100,000 and its liabilities (the amount it owes to creditors) between $100,001 and $500,000. A summary of those liabilities, which identifies the creditors and the amount owed to them, had not been filed as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.
