CLEVELAND, Ohio -- You don't have to open the door to see that there is something different going on in Corner Alley. Just look through the windows. There are lots and lots of windows.
That's the first big change you notice when approaching the East Fourth Street entertainment venue, which reopens Tuesday after closing for a two-and-a-half-month makeover. It will host a grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 17.
The bar area now lords over the front half of the 25,000-square-foot space, which now connects Corner Alley more to East Fourth. The space is also more open and airy than the previous incarnation. Yes, a lot of it has to do with the retractable garage-door windows, which have replaced the walls along East Fourth and Euclid Avenue.
But there's something else - actually a few things.
"We lowered the floor - here, look," says culinary director Todd DiCilllo, as he points to a spot indicating where the floor used to be, about 18 inches higher. "We also scrapped the drop ceiling we used to have, so the ceiling is a lot higher, and there's a good deal more space in this room."
When it opened in 2006, Corner Alley rolled out the motto "life in the fast lane" to go with a concept that was equal parts high-tech bowling alley, sleek martini lounge and Art Deco-style diner.
Come Tuesday, you might think that you're walking into a large sports bar, with sidewalk seating and a bowling alley and games in the back.
You would be correct.
"We want more of an open, sports-bar feel," says DiCillo, amid a training session for workers taking place in the bar."The focus is simpler and has shifted to serving a wide range of beers and drinks and sharable plates."
The beer list rolls out 30-plus craft beers, most of which are from the area. The food menu features moderately-priced bar standards such as pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and side dishes - as well as a couple of twists, like Fried Twinkies and Fried Ho Hos.
The menu, like the overhaul, was inspired by the East Side Corner Alley, which opened in November. Located in the Uptown development in University Circle, it appeals to students that might stop in for a game to go with an affordable meal to nibble on.
Both spots are owned by MRN Ltd. - which also owns Zocalo and Flannery's and is known for developing East Fourth Street, an entertainment district that includes the House of Blues, Lola, Pickwick and Frolic, and the Greenhouse Tavern.
"The concept and the idea to remodel Corner Alley really came together at the Uptown location, where you can do different things on a moderate budget," says Mary Lessick, the Corner Alley's director of sales and marketing.
"We're not looking for people to spend a lot on something quick and leave," adds general manager Michael Grasso. "I'd rather they sit at a bar, watch a game, maybe bowl a bit, play pinball or shuffleboard - and make it an evening of entertainment."
The bowling alley part of Corney Alley is accessorized with pinball machines, air hockey and foosball tables, shuffleboard, video and other games. There are 16 lanes - 12 in the bowling part visible from Euclid Avenue and four more in a private area.
That latter might make for a quarantine, er, I mean, a private party, for Steelers fans.
"We have 40 TVs around the bar, in the bowling area, the private part and in the basement that we can divide up for fans of various teams," says Grasso. "A lot of places appeal to Browns fans, but we'd like to provide a gathering spot for fans of, say, the Steelers or Dolphins - teams for people that have moved to Cleveland for work and have nowhere to go to root for their teams."
A sports bar with a bowling alley in the back is a very different approach to one Corner Alley regulars are used to. The problem, says Grasso, is that the original concept was already dated when it opened.
It was part of a "bowling lounge" trend that started in the Southwest in the late 1990s and hit Cleveland a decade later, as East Fourth was taking off.
"The trend was on the way out by the time it was hitting Cleveland," he says. "This time, we aren't going for any trends - it's about providing a wide range of people some affordable entertainment."
For more info, go to thecorneralley.com.