THE HISTORY
In 1927 seventeen year-old Jimmy Bruzzese left his native Italy with hopes of
forging a better life in the new world. With just a few dollars in his
pocket and little knowledge of English, he eventually settled in Detroit.
An accomplished musician and composer, he soon opened the Alhambra School of
Music on Woodward Avenue where he taught accordion lessons and sold various
musical instruments. One day he fell in love with one of his students,
JoAnn Nudo, and they were married in 1937. They had two sons, Jim Jr. in
1939 and Larry in 1941. By then Jimmy had launched a career as a builder
of houses and apartments. Always looking for a better opportunity, he and
JoAnn built their first bowling center in 1952 called Fantasy Lanes.
Located at 7 Mile Rd. and Hayes, the Fantasy boasted 16 lanes, a fine dining restaurant,
and a lounge with entertainment, sometimes provided by Jimmy himself. By
the end of the 1950's, Jimmy and JoAnn were already looking to improve their
stead and capitalize on the city's migration north to the suburbs.
Jimmy put his building skills to work once again, and in 1960 he and JoAnn
opened Detroit's newest and most modern bowling center, Pampa Lanes, on Van Dyke
between 13 and 14 mile Roads. With 40 new automatic lanes, a fine
dining restaurant and lounge, and three banquet rooms, Pampa Lanes was the
center they had always wanted. They worked 7 days a week to realize their
dream, and were soon joined by their son Larry who had developed an active
interest in the bowling business as a youth. 
Then disaster struck--a fire burned down the entire building on a Sunday afternoon in January of 1962. Already mortgaged to the hilt, Jimmy and JoAnn began the insurmountable task of rebuilding the dream that took 25 years to create. Jimmy was forced to put his building skills to use one last time, and Jimmy was hoping that Pampa Lanes was reopened in time for the 63-64 Bowling season. In the spring of 1963 son Larry married Sue Lapshan, his high school sweetheart, and things were beginning to look good again. But before Pampa Lanes was open again, Jimmy died unexpectedly of a heart attack that summer. Suddenly, JoAnn and her twenty-two year-old son were thrust into the bowling business without Jimmy. With two mortgage payments and a list of creditors longer than a bowling lane, it seemed impossible to JoAnn and her young son that they could make ends meet. Through the 60s and 70s they worked harder than ever. Larry had three children during these hard times--Jimmy in 1965, Jeff in 1966, and Molly in 1969. Joann and Larry were soon joined by Larry's brother Jim Jr. Like his father, Jim Jr. was an accomplished musician. Regarded as one of the top drummers in the nation, Jim Jr. had made a name for himself by playing for such legendary performers as Sammy Davis Jr. and Ann Margaret. In the 1970's, Jim Jr. opened Pampa Sound Studios inside Pampa Lanes, and did studio work for the likes of Bob Seger, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Burt Bachrach. When Jim Jr. decided to rent out his studio less than 10 years later, he already had five gold records to his credit.
In the 1980s JoAnn started thinking about retirement. Pampa Lanes was getting back on track financially, and Larry and his mother actually thought about selling the business they labored so hard to preserve. Jim Jr. had begun a career in video doing various film and editing projects, and became less involved in the business. But then Larry's children expressed a desire to keep the center as they finished college. One by one they joined their father after graduation, and by the early 90s Pampa Lanes was once again a family affair. Now as Larry himself heads into retirement in the 21st century, his children carry on the legacy of their grandfather at the place still called Pampa Lanes.
