Longtime Des Plaines bowling alley succumbs to foreclosure
Tom and Jim Capparelli know the writing is on the wall for Sim's Bowl and Lounge, a downtown Des Plaines icon for 55 years.
On June 15, First Midwest Bank will foreclose, and the brothers will turn over the keys to their family business at 1555 Ellinwood Ave.
Though Sim's cocktail lounge remains popular, customers have dwindled over the last 20 years with the decline of bowling leagues, said Jim Capparelli, 66, of Buffalo Grove.
The brothers say they can no longer afford to pay the $925,000 mortgage and real estate taxes on the roughly 27,000-square-foot property, which includes the adjoining Depot Pizza.
"We've tried everything," said Tom Capparelli.
"It's too late," Jim Capparelli chimed in.
The Capparellis had planned one day to sell the business and retire, but they never expected to go out like this.
The 16-lane alley, started by their aunt and uncle, Bill and Angie Sim, together with their father, opened in November 1954. It was only the second alley in Illinois to sport Brunswick automatic lanes, which replaced setting pins by hand. The alley has a retro charm as bowlers still need a pencil and card to keep score.
"I'm heartbroken," said Tom, 63, of Des Plaines. "It's the end of an era. This place is something of an institution to the downtown community."
Five generations of his family have been involved with the bowling alley.
"Five of our cousins met their spouses here," Tom said. His older brother, Anthony, also met his future wife at the alley.
Des Plaines' new 1st Ward Alderman Patricia Haugeberg couldn't believe the news.
"It's truly a shame especially since it's in my ward," she said. "Yes, people will miss that it's (not) there, but it would still be there if people went there. Growing up in Des Plaines (Sim's) was just one of the fixtures, along with the Sugar Bowl."
Ironically, the Sugar Bowl recently reopened under new ownership.
The Capparellis' property was listed for $4.2 million in 2007, but the Capparellis would have taken $3 million for it, the brothers said.
"Many people wanted to buy the place but then the (property) values fell down," Tom Capparelli said.
A year ago, the property was appraised at $1.9 million. That's when the Capparellis offered the land to the city and would have taken $1.5 million, they said.
"The town wouldn't purchase the property," Tom Capparelli said. "They are willing to sacrifice a half a block being boarded up."
Developers and city planners have long eyed the block where Sim's is located alongside the Metra tracks for retail and housing high-rise development.
Midwest Bank rejected the latest offer by Schaumburg-based developer, RMS Properties, Inc., to buy the Sim's property for $1.1 million, including paying all back taxes, interest and penalty fees owed, Jim Capparelli said.
If the bank had accepted the offer, the developer planned to turn Sim's into a more upscale bowling operation with leather seating, pool tables, televisions, and live bands, Tom Capparelli said.
Capparelli's Depot pizzeria will close June 7. The family plans to host a final farewell party for Sim's the weekend of June 12 and 13 with live bands playing from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.