Conversations with the Leaders Shaping the Fowling Warehouse Experience

On a recent Friday night, the sound of bowling pins crashing filled the cavernous warehouse just outside downtown Indianapolis. There were shouts and high-fives, a few groans, and somewhere, a baritone honk from the famed “Bonk horn.” But in the middle of it all, moving from lane to lane with the easy attentiveness of someone who knows every inch of the space — and every face in it — was Eric Page.

Meggan & Eric Page

He’s the franchisee behind Fowling Warehouse Indianapolis, a 50,000-square-foot venue where footballs and bowling pins collide in joyful chaos. But Page’s real business isn’t sports — it’s connection. “I think we’ve become kind of a new-age community center,” he said. “People come here to play, sure. But what they’re really doing is putting their phones away, meeting people, and being part of something.”

Long before he was orchestrating corporate retreats and open play nights in Indiana, Page was fine-tuning guest experiences in the happiest place on Earth. His career began with an internship at Walt Disney World in Orlando, where he cycled through roles in hotel operations, food and beverage, convention services, and more. That experience instilled a customer-first mindset and a sense of organizational excellence. From there, he transitioned to Wyndham, where he helped open and scale a flagship resort — gaining firsthand experience in budgeting, logistics, and leadership.

Eventually, Page felt the call to return to the Midwest and pursue a dream of owning his own business. That opportunity came — unexpectedly — in the form of a phone call from Fowling’s founder, Chris Hutt, who asked if he’d consider opening a location in Indianapolis. Page said yes. Within months, he and his wife were relocating and navigating a warehouse buildout that coincided with the start of the pandemic. The result is one of the franchise’s most successful and dynamic locations — a place that feels as much like a local clubhouse as it does an entertainment venue.

We sat down with Page to talk about leadership, culture, decision-making, and what he’s learned about building something meaningful — even in the most unpredictable of times.

Q. What did you take from your time at Disney and Wyndham that shaped your leadership at Fowling?

Disney taught me the value of purposeful service. I had an executive there tell me, “Try something new every year or two,” and I really lived by that. It gave me a range of experiences in food and beverage, hotel ops, convention services — all customer-facing. Wyndham added the financial rigor — budgets, forecasting, construction management. Both shaped my belief that service should be intentional and every detail matters. It’s not just how you clean a bathroom. It’s how you make someone feel when they walk into your space.

Q. You opened in the middle of a pandemic. What was that like?

It was a lot of, “figure it out as you go.” We moved to Indy in October 2019, started demolition, and then COVID hit. So we were in a holding pattern. Contractors weren’t working. Materials were delayed. It was lonely and scrappy — I was basically the general contractor. I didn’t know what I was doing, but we found a way.

Now the franchise process is streamlined, with national vendor support and clear timelines. Back then? I was calling in every favor I had just to get cooler doors.

Q. How did you choose your location — and what advice do you give others?

Don’t chase demographics you think you want — really study them. You’re not opening in a college town just because there’s energy. Ask: What do people do in this community? Do they go out? Are they active? Are they looking for something different?

Also: people like nice things. Don’t settle for a divey space and call it “industrial.” Our place is 50,000 square feet with clean lines and a wow factor. When people walk in, they say “Whoa.” That first impression matters.

Q. What surprised you about your guests?

How broad the audience really is. We thought it’d be mostly 20- and 30-somethings. But some of our best events have been 40th and 50th birthday parties. It’s cross-generational. We’ve had wedding receptions here — because people met here. I think we’ve tallied eight marriages that started in this building. It’s a place where barriers come down. You throw a football. You cheer. You make friends.

Q. You talked about your business feeling like a community center. Can you say more?

We host open play, leagues, private parties, and corporate events — but the thread is the same: people are showing up to connect. They’re not staring at their phones. They’re moving. They’re laughing. And we lean into that.

We partner with a running club that starts and ends its races at our front door. That’s 2,000 new people, many of whom stick around for a drink — or book their company outing here the next week.

Q. What’s your approach to hiring and building culture?

That’s been one of our biggest learning curves. Early on, we had a lot of turnover. People didn’t always deliver the level of service I expected. So we paused, rethought things, and started hiring with more intention. Now our team knows: when someone chooses to spend their money here, we owe them an experience.

You’re not just a bartender or a host — you’re an ambassador. You represent a place where people come to unplug and feel good.

Q. How do you approach customer acquisition?

It starts long before they walk in. Getting your name out in the community is critical — sponsorships, outreach, grassroots marketing. But the real magic happens once they’re here. I talk to guests every night we’re open. I watch their reactions. If they’re laughing, playing, and asking how to book a party, I know we did our job.

Corporate events are huge for us. We market directly to companies that are tired of the “same-old” team building. Our pitch? “Sally from accounting might just be your Fowling champion.” That stuff sticks.

Q. What gets you up in the morning?

Knowing that someone’s coming through our doors today for the first time — and that we might be a highlight in their week. That sounds lofty, but I see it happen. They laugh, they cheer, they bond. And if we’ve done our job, they leave a little lighter than when they walked in.  That’s the magic. That’s what keeps me going.

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Eric Page isn’t just thinking about Fowling as a game — he’s thinking about it as a platform. As he looks toward the future, he sees endless potential in the blank canvas of the warehouse model. “We don’t have to be just a Fowling Warehouse,” he says. “These spaces can host car shows, conventions, races, receptions — anything you can dream up. The boards can move. The space can flex. And we can meet the moment in our community, whatever that looks like.” For Page, the evolution of Fowling is less about expansion in the traditional sense and more about imagination. It’s about saying yes to possibility — and creating a place where the walls don’t limit what people can come together to do.