The owners of Brooklyn Bowl will open two more branches of the rock and roll bowling alley this year — one in London and the other in Las Vegas.
The London branch will open on Jan. 16 or 17, co-owner Charley Ryan said.
“We are really excited about both of them,” said Ryan. “I have always loved London and it is a thrill to do something there.”
The English edition of the popular venue will be in East London, steps from the O2 Arena, which is similar in size to the Barclay Center.
Ryan said the proximity makes for hip company and that he will likely screen live feeds of the shows at his big-time neighbor.
The Bowl’s owners started on the Las Vegas project first, but finished the London branch more quickly, he said.
“It took a whole lot less time and money to build out,” said Ryan.
The Williamsburg bowling alley and music venue opened in July of 2009 and has become a mecca for Brooklyn hipsters and tourists alike. The venue has hosted some high-profile shows, including Kanye West and Guns ‘N’ Roses.
The Las Vegas branch will open inside the Linq, a new entertainment mall near the famous Las Vegas Strip. That location will be more than twice as big as the Wythe Avenue mothership.
The opening of an outlet of the London-based record store chain Rough Trade in Williamsburg two months ago makes for a sort of hipster cultural exchange between the two cities.
If your borough-based company wants to cash in on some of that cool-Brooklyn shine, all it takes is opening up a location in another city, according to Ryan.
“If you talk to kids in Tokyo or Amsterdam, they will tell you they want to come to Brooklyn,” he said.
“It’s not so much branding as us going somewhere and saying, ‘We are here.’ ”
