About Us

Company Mission
It is the mission of Stardust Bowl to consistently provide all of our customers with superior customer service in a safe, comfortable, and fun atmosphere.

History
The Barton family bowling legacy began back in 1958 when Ray Barton and a partner built the 12/20 bowling center in Gary, IN.  After a few years in operation Mr. Barton’s partner felt that they should sell the bowling center and move on to different ventures.  Mr. Barton decided that he would prefer to continue on in the bowling industry.  He expanded his 32-lane center to 43 lanes.  Rumor has it that an odd number of lanes were built so that if there were 42 lanes of league play there would still be one lane available for open play.

In 1964 Mr. Barton continued his expansion in the industry by building Stardust Bowl in Hammond, IN.  His business continued to grow with the construction of Stardust Bowl II in Merrillville, IN in 1973.  His fourth bowling center, Stardust Bowl III, was built in 1979 in Dyer, IN.  In 1981 the 12/20 bowling center was sold leaving the three Stardust Bowl locations.  In May of 2008, Stardust I in Hammond was closed.

Although Mr. Barton owned over 200 lane beds at one time (43 in Gary, 48 in Hammond, 64 in Merrillville, and 48 in Dyer), he never once rolled a single ball down any of them.  Ray Barton passed away in 1997, but his legacy will continue forever.  His children, Bruce and Barbara Barton, continue to operate the centers.