Valley Independent Sentinel

posted by: Art Stone on July 15, 2010  7:24pm

Is the new access road to the Derby Commerce Park complete yet on the other side of the railroad tracks?

posted by: Watchman on July 15, 2010  7:49pm

Unfortunately,  another of a NEGATIVE series of, “continuing bad news for the City of Derby!”
Derby desperately needs a POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT!

posted by: BryanLizotte on July 16, 2010  6:30am

Valley Bowl will certainly be missed. I wish all the best to John Scott and family.

posted by: superbus on July 16, 2010  7:10am

This is going to make me a pariah… but good riddance. The place hasn’t been maintained since about 1992, and John treated his people like dirt. The only thing about Valley Bowl was the nostalgia; it’s a so-called Valley Landmark™. People stopped going because there was no reason to go, and John can talk about the rising cost of maintenance all he wants, but his only goal ever was breaking even; he had NO interest in maintenance, as long as he made enough to keep the lights on, he was happy. He’s said this.

John Scott took over as the manager in the late 80s, according to this article. It shows. Personally, I wonder what took so long.

posted by: javaandjazz on July 16, 2010  8:34am

Please knock the building down. It’s an eyesore and always has been since I have lived in the valley since 1967.

posted by: bichonlady on July 16, 2010  9:19am

The Santangelo wanted to do nothing with the center. The place looked disgusting. They just wanted to collect rent. Milford bowling alley is busy. Thats cause it looks good. As far as Italian Pav the food is great but the place looks bad to.  Dirty carpets and old booths. Not a place I want to sit and eat. More like grab and go. Santangelo needs to sell the center and let someone come in there and tear it all down. It is a embarrassment when you come off the highway.

posted by: koalabelle on July 17, 2010  12:06pm

I’m not a bowler, so I can’t comment on Valley Bowl other than to say it’s sad that Derby is losing another long-term business. But I’m responding to bichonlady’s comment about Italian Pavilion. Maybe my expectations aren’t as high as hers, but I often sit and eat there and find it comfortable and cozy with friendly staff and—as she said—the food is great. I used to eat there when it was in the old Ansonia Mall, and was very happy when it found its new home in Derby. Just hoping this doesn’t force Italian Pavilion out of business.

posted by: javaandjazz on July 18, 2010  11:32am

Italian Pavillion should move into the Big Y plaza in downtown Ansonia, back where they started in the old mall location. I agree with the above poster, they have pretty good pizza but the place is showing it’s age.

posted by: koalabelle on July 18, 2010  12:09pm

I tried posting before and it never showed up, so I’ll try again. I’m not a bowler, so I can’t give an opinion on what Valley Bowl was like, but I’m responding to bichonlady’s comments about the Italian Pavilion. I often eat there, because the food is so good, and I find the atmosphere comfortable and cozy. The booths may be old, but there’s nothing wrong with them, and I’ve never noticed that the carpets, or anything else, were dirty. The staff is friendly; the food, again, is excellent, and I hope the restaurant is not forced to move. I was a customer back when they were in the old Ansonia Mall, and was happy that they found a new home in the area.

posted by: Art Stone on July 20, 2010  3:30pm

Here is an idea - if an existing business doesn’t meet your high expectations for Derby - buy the business with your own money, improve it, and make it a success and show the rest of us how to do it right.

posted by: bichonlady on July 21, 2010  9:26am

I have invested in many towns improving many shopping centers there Art. Unfortunately no one wants to invest in Derby. Look at the businesses that have closed. The people in the town don’t even support the businesses in their town. Unfortunately when Santangelo had tenants paying they only wanted to collect the money and make no improvements. Thats fact. I have dealt with them and wanted to purchase property. They just wanted to lay back and collect the money.  I look back and think how lucky I was and did not buy the property

posted by: superbus on July 21, 2010  1:00pm

There’s some truth to the statement that Derby residents don’t support their businesses. In the case of Valley Bowl, there’s good reason - it’s hard to justify supporting someone that hasn’t made any improvements since before Clinton went into office - but a look at the businesses that have died in Derby or the surrounding areas shows something. All of the smaller and/or family owned businesses have died; Lifetouch, Hubbell Brothers, Derby Billiards/Fat’s Pool Hall, Nick + Nikki’s Deli (I think that one’s in Ansonia, but close enough to the border to count), Tail Gators, the countless businesses that have been in Valero’s building where Bella’s is now (Valero’s… now that dates me a bit), they’ve all died, most of them recently. Meanwhile, all the fast food places, Wal Mart, Loews, Gamestop, all these big box stores are doing just fine.

I think this is indicative of where peoples’ minds are around here. Very few smaller businesses can survive in this environment. Hubbell Brothers couldn’t survive against Wal Mart. Nick + Nikki’s couldn’t compete against the fast food businesses on Division Street. People in Derby, I notice, only cry about something they care about when it’s gone, before they realize that they could have kept it around. This isn’t the case with Valley Bowl, but it’s certainly the case with others that have come and gone.

posted by: johnnylmao on July 22, 2010  11:13am

The only bad part of this news is the fact that this building will just sit there as an eyesore for who knows how long. That bowling alley was in poor condition 40 years ago when I was a teenager. Level that entire plot of property and plant some grass. What investor is going to build in between a self storage facility and a store that looks like a warehouse, more buildings that will be empty carcasses for generations to come.