Out of this World: Galaxy Strikes Bowling Center

Out of this World: Galaxy Strikes Bowling Center

By Jodi Nash

It’s been a long time coming, and it’s not just a traditional bowling alley.

Galaxy Strikes Bowling Center in Warrenton strives to be “a place where everyone can play.” It’s big, bold, high-tech, lazer-lit with color-changing lane effects and a red, white and blue color scheme. There are eighteen lanes, a flashy prizebased arcade, a nine-hole iridescent black-light mini-golf course, and a pro shop that sells bowling balls, bags, shoes, and other accessories.

Galaxy owners Bret and Patti Miller

Photo by Jodi Nash

There are thirty employees, five full-time (three managers, and two lane mechanics) and eight different bowling leagues. The Space Station Café offers beer and wine, burgers and dogs, fresh grilled sandwiches, pizza, quesadillas, nachos, tater tots, sweet potato waffles and even a grilled chicken salad, all reasonably priced.

Owners Brett Miller and his wife, Patti, after much marketing research, determined there was a genuine need in Warrenton for a bowling alley.

“There was nowhere to go for indoor family recreation,” Brett said. “And there was a big void to fill for local league bowlers, who were traveling to Front Royal, Fredericksburg, Manassas and Winchester to bowl.”

Warrenton Lanes, later known as Broadview, closed eight years ago, so when Galaxy opened last October, it was no surprise it was flooded with eager participants. All open bowling lanes are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis with lane reservations only for birthday parties and corporate events.

A Warrenton native who began bowling at four, Brett had nursed a dream to own his own facility since he was a teenager. He wanted more than just a bowling alley, aspiring to make it a true community gathering place. A software engineer who did government contract work for 35 years, he also knew it was now or never.

Patti, a regional credit manager for a welding and gas company for twenty-six years, retired in April, 2022. Four years earlier, they both attended a bowling EXPO at the Kalahari Resort in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains sponsored by the Bowling Proprietors Association of America (BPAA)).

They attended several classes, from marketing to employee management, and scoped out various vendors featuring the latest games and technology.

Their 25,000-square-foot space, located in the Warrenton Village Center, was a dream, with easy access and plenty of parking. The commercial construction took six months, and general contractor Todd Finks came out of retirement to manage the project because it would be “fun to do.”

Brett did most of the IT installation himself, running cable and handling the installation of the servers, switches, and TVs. The couple, married fifteen years with a blended family of five children, even met while bowling, when a singles group at their Methodist Church hosted a bowling night out. Kismet.

Patti had bowled in a small league in Massachusetts before moving to Virginia as a teenager. Brett bowled professionally for a few years early in his career, and they’re both now putting in long hours to ensure Galaxy Strike’s success as a recreational destination for Fauquier and surrounding counties.

Working 85 hours a week, Brett calls himself the “CEO and CFO” of Galaxy Strikes and acknowledged the business is “a work in progress. There are new things to learn every day.”

He’s also the house bowling pro, coaching league bowlers of all ages, from kids to seniors. Not only does he sell bowling balls, he measures hand spans, fingers and thumb lengths, then drills the holes to suit the bowler. Patti, who averages 60 hours a week, handles the marketing, party booking and much of the accounting. She’s also the friendly face out front.

“We’re packed all the time, and amazed at how well we’ve been received,” she said.