Lewiston bowling alley reopens 6 months after Maine’s deadliest mass shooting
LEWISTON, Maine– It’s a dilemma no business owner should have to face: whether to reopen after a mass shooting.
The answer didn’t come easy to Justin and Samantha Juray. But when they decided to reopen their Maine bowling alley, they didn’t hold back.
When visitors return Friday, six months after the gunman opened fire, they will see inspiring photos at the end of every street, bright paint on the walls and new floors. The Lewiston location has undergone a complete makeover, giving it a vibrant, airy feel.
Samantha Juray becomes emotional as she recalls the events of Oct. 25, when the gunman killed eight people at the bowling alley before driving to a nearby bar and pool hall, where he killed 10 more in the deadliest shooting in state history . He later died by suicide.
“It will never leave my mind,” Juray said this week as she made final preparations to reopen. “I think if we don’t move forward — not that this whole thing makes any sense at all — but we’re just going to let the people who took so much from us win.”
Justin Juray was initially adamantly against reopening and they also received some negative feedback from outside. But that all changed, she said, when the people of Lewiston rallied behind them. Within weeks, they knew they had to reopen, Samantha Juray said.
They decided to keep the same name: Just-In-Time Recreation. They call it that because when they bought the location three years ago, the owner was still days away from closing it. It also fits Justin’s name.
Across the country, people have taken different approaches in the wake of mass shootings. Barbara Poma, the former owner of Pulse nightclub in Florida, where 49 people died in 2016, said every situation and community is different.
“You suddenly go into a state of shock and emotions dictate your thoughts,” Poma said in an email. “Ultimately, you are forced to make a critical business decision based on the emotional and public impact it will have on others. There is simply no simple or right answer.”
The city of Orlando agreed last year to purchase the Pulse nightclub property to create a memorial.
In Aurora, Colorado, a movie theater that killed 12 people in 2012 later reopened under a new name. Buffalo’s Tops Friendly Market reopened in 2022, two months after 10 Black people were murdered.
In Newtown, Connecticut, Sandy Hook Elementary School was razed, and there are also plans to raze Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
In Lewiston, Kathy Lebel, owner of the second business hit by the shooter, Schemengees Bar & Grille also hopes to reopen at another location.
At the bowling alley, Tom Giberti said people are “so excited to have us back.”
Giberti, who worked at the bowling alley for 20 years, is credited with saving the lives of at least four children the night of the shooting. He led them down a narrow walkway between the lanes to an area behind the pins. Before Giberti could reach safety, he was shot in both legs and hit by shrapnel.
After undergoing surgery, it didn’t take long for Giberti to stop using the walker he was given. Today, he enjoys playing golf and shows few physical signs of his injuries as he walks around the bowling alley.
Many people in Lewiston helped get the site reopened, he said.
“The community was phenomenal,” Giberti said. “They’ve been here for us, they’ve supported us.”
The bowling alley makeover includes a new scoring system and many tributes, including a table with photos of the eight who died at Just-In-Time, and bowling pins with the names of the 18 shooting victims at both locations.
Two bowling alley employees were among the dead. Most of the personnel who survived are returning to work at the site.
Samantha Juray said they are fully prepared to serve customers again and can’t wait to see the familiar faces of regulars as they get used to the new normal.
Among those scheduled to speak at a ceremony Friday afternoon is Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat.
“I’m excited about the opening,” Juray said. “I know it’s definitely going to be a very long day, and probably an emotional day.”
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Associated Press writer David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.