On The Spot Pro Shop

I live in Doylestown, PA. and I was looking to buy some new gear to roll with my family. I tried to find a pro-​shop in the area and none of them have daytime hours which I thought was ridiculous. So, looked online and found On the Spot. It was a little farther than I wanted to travel to get a new ball. But, I called John A. and asked if he was open during the day and asked about his Hammer inventory. John was very helpful so I decided to make the trek. I am glad that I did.
I have to admit (since I am new to the area) I had never been to Manayunk. I had in my mind that since On The Spot has a Facebook page and a nice website that this would be a nice little warehouse attached to a bowling alley. Well it’s not. It is a meager small shop which is about the size of my kitchen at home. But don’t let that fool you. John has everything you need complete with drill press and stacks of new bowling balls right inside the door.
From the moment I walked in the door I was treated as an A+ customer. The customer service was not only «On The Spot,» but it was off the hook. John remembered me from my phone call and immediately began to give me some thoughts about balls. He flipped open his MAC and said, «He is what I have to offer you right now. If none of this works, I will order it and have it by the end of the week.» Not too mention that I had my little girl with me and he offered her a candy bar (I just knew I had the right guy).
i knew I wanted a Hammer; possibly a med to heavy oil ball and also possibly a dry to complement. But, I was not sure. John showed me an Arson hybrid which I never heard of and a Cobalt Vibe. He said he thought this would be a great combo. After much discussion, where he also allowed me to surf the net on his MAC and do some homework, I decided he might be right. So, I trusted him.
He meticulously measured me for finger tip and asked me how it felt. He also asked me to pull back the measuring ball and check hand position as well. I asked him to adjust it a bit which he did and rechecked the fingers as well. He then said, «This is it. I am sure of it.» So, I said, «Drill them…»
John tossed me some shoes, drilled the first ball and said, «Now get out on the lane over there and start throwing.» He was right. The hybrid was amazing. The back end reaction was so strong I could not believe it. Before drilling the second, John stood behind me and also gave me tips for setup on the Hi-​Spot lanes and for myself to be successful throwing the new ball. Again, it was just a professional experience. Finally, he drilled the Vibe brought it to me and began to give me tips for throwing the dry ball; including slowing down my delivery for this type of ball. (By the way, when I came into the alley, the lights on the lanes were off. So, I could not tell what they had. I thought they would be rough. But when they turned the lanes on I saw where they invest their money… in the lanes! They were really nice.)
John did not even ask me for payment until I was ready to «check-​out.» I thought that was the most professional move of all. I bought two balls, a set of shoes and a bag. His pricing was very fair and I walked out feeling as though I was treated well and had made a friend. If you are looking for a «ritzy» pro-​shop, then this is not the place for you. But, if you are looking for an old-​school, blue-​collar, knowledgeable bowling tech, this is the spot. As I said, you will be glad you went to see John A.

Not only did they donate my new bowling ball, bag, towel, and polish to the charity event where I won it, but then when I brought it in to have the holes drilled I got hooked up with a discount. Never knew having a ball designed for me could improve my skills so drastically, but now the strikes are falling like rain (after a few tips from John, that is).
Located inside The Hi-​Spot Bowling Lanes, it’s really just a large storage closest converted into a shop, but there is plenty of room to get what you need done, and still enough space for product perusal. Owner John Altomare is one hell of a nice guy who’s very eager to make sure your geared up to bowl up of your potential, even if that’s only just above 100. After the royal treatment here, the first game with my new ball brought me an all-​time high score of 163 (up from my previous 95 average) and my first ever turkey!