Isabelle Lavoie's enthusiasm for bowling comes naturally. The owner of the Darling Bowling Alley since 2014, Isabelle has worked tirelessly to make this a unique and memorable place, both for the residents of Hochelaga and for the tourists she hopes to attract to this throwback to another era: the golden age of bowling in Quebec in the '60s and '70s.
Isabelle's experience with bowling goes back to the '50s, when her father and grandfather ran bowling alleys in eastern Montreal. When her father decided to leave the business around the year 2000, instead of giving in to her desire to take over, Isabelle went in another direction. She worked in marketing communications until 2010 for record labels, children's theatre and historic sites. "I made record sales wherever I went," she says. "Business was going well! But after a few years, I had the feeling I had done what I had to do." That's when Isabelle heard about a bowling alley for sale on Ontario Street.