Where Football and Bowling Collide: Inside the Fowling Warehouse

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided

Fowling is a mash-up of bowling and football, and you can try out and perfect your skills at this new sport at the Fowling Warehouse in the North Loop. Teams take turns throwing footballs at the other team’s set of pins, until one team knocks all the other team’s pins down. Fowling Warehouse boasts 21 lanes in its massive 32,000 square-foot space at 401 Royalston Avenue N. We talked to Andrew Cunningham, co-owner of the Minneapolis location, to learn more about the origins of the sport, why it is perfect for Minneapolis, the many activities and foods and beverages available at the location, and how you might achieve a ‘bonk’ on your first visit!

Andrew Cunningham

Q: How did you first discover Fowling Warehouse, and what convinced you it would work in Minneapolis?

A: I got to know Fowling when it was a lesser known, up and coming activity in Detroit. It was a cool concept that was underground and would pop up at different events, such as tailgates or festivals, before it made it big and opened a location in 2014. It was a hot commodity; you had to get it when you could where you could. 

We had a feeling it would succeed in Minneapolis because of the people, the sports, and climate. The people here love activities, and Fowling keeps people active throughout the year indoors when it is too hot or too cold to enjoy the outdoors.

Q: Why was the North Loop the right location for the warehouse?

A: The North Loop is in the heart of the city and was once referred to as the city’s playground. There is so much to do - from fine dining, fun bars, and immersive events at Royalston Square - it clearly would be a great fit for our quirky sport and bar.

Q: Fowling is a mashup of football and bowling. Why do you think unusual social games are resonating with people today?

A: I think a lot of that has a fair amount to do with COVID, which drove people into the virtual world for connection and amplified the social media bubble people live in. After that, there was a strong desire to get out and socialize. Now with people drinking less, entertainment and doing something different has become more important in the “funtertainment /eatertainment” sectors.

Q: Oh, I like those two words very much – funtertainment and eatertainment! Corporate events and team-building outings are a big part of the business. What makes a visit to Fowling Warehouse effective as a team activity?

A: Outings at Fowling are different because the sport itself is very approachable - you don’t have to be a former quarterback to win, and we can put on any scale tournament and fundraiser to really engage the teams and community. The space itself is very open and inviting with TV’s all around, an arcade with pinball, claw machines, pool, air hockey, foosball and more, in addition to table tennis, shuffleboard, and now Pickleball, too. We offer a little bit of something for everyone to try, without being the next adult Dave & Busters.

Q: What's the funniest thing you've witnessed on a Fowling lane?

A: The funniest recurring thing starts with explaining the rules to customers coming in. As we explain the game, a part of it is how to win the game in one throw by knocking the red pin down without any other pins in the opening throw, which is called the bonk. It’s inevitably considered impossible, can’t ever happen, and ridiculous. Even at our grand opening, I explained this to one of our liquor rep’s family and the husband clearly thought I was crazy and that it was impossible. No more than 5 minutes later, he found me beaming letting me know he got a bonk, won the game, and I took him over to let everyone know by pulling the bonk horn which is a real ship air horn.

Q: Have you witnessed any customers come in skeptical and leaving completely hooked?

A: Yes! It just takes a little bit to get the right people hooked. One of our league players was skeptical and came in for one of our “free fowling” nights leading up to our late winter league kick off. She has become a big supporter of ours, helping coordinate events, spread the word and even helped us out at the June beer dabbler!

Q: Are there new leagues, tournaments, or events you'd like to introduce?

A: We have a league ongoing right now and we are taking sign-ups for our fall/winter league seasons that will be on us before we know it! We are lucky enough to have Fluid Table Tennis running table tennis leagues every Thursday, with quarterly tournaments too. We are gearing up for a great fall season with some Oktoberfest-like activities with the ever-popular bock beer poking, Hammerschlagen, and more. 

Q: When people leave Fowling Warehouse Minneapolis, what do you hope they're talking about on the way home?

A: We want people to think about the vibrant community and space we have at the Fowling Warehouse where everyone can find something their speed to do. I want them to remember being able to come in and engage with friends or colleagues along the way, and leave with a story to tell and feel more connected with one another! 

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