Celebrating its 100th anniversary later this year, Mahall’s continues to be timelessly popular whether for concertgoers, casual or serious bowlers, or those simply wanting to go out for cocktails and company.
Co-owner Sue Shestina says it’s “unbelievable” to be with Mahall’s during the centennial year, for which a birthday party will be in the works. She is a 20-year employee of the Lakewood venue and became co-owner with Cory Hajde and Joseph Pavlick about three years ago, noting other employees have worked there far longer. Shestina promised the late former owner Arthur Mahall – whose father John Mahall founded the venue in 1924 – when he retired that she would stay until it hit 100 years, she adds.
In addition to its concert and event spaces, vintage clothing and record shop at the front, and top-floor restaurant and bar, Mahall’s contains the groovy Pins & Needles cocktail lounge in the basement next to the bowling alley. Pins & Needles specializes in “70s classic cocktails, highballs and your dad’s favorite beer,” according to the website, and features a vintage record wall and a wealth of far-out decor.
And, the venue’s most recent modernization involved renovating to create The Roxy – a funky new auditorium-sized space, named for the ballroom previously in the space in the 1920s and 30s. The Roxy, which opened in September 2023, can fit more than 800 people standing. Meanwhile, the longtime concert space fits 350 people standing, meaning The Roxy changes the game in terms of the live music acts and size of events Mahall’s can attract (it also can host weddings and large parties). As a decor theme, The Roxy’s lights and other accents incorporate old bowling machine parts, and the bar and walls are made of “kickback wood” from the bowling alley, Shestina says.
“That’s probably the best thing we have right now is The Roxy,” she adds.
-Amanda Koehn