One might claim that Greater Cincinnati has a history of supporting new sports and recreation on the cusp of taking off—after all, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became America’s first professional baseball club in 1869, the card game UNO was invented here in 1971, and the American Cornhole Organization (headquartered in Milford) was formed in 2005.
Now, a handful of Loveland natives are ready to add “fowling” to that esteemed list. Just two short years ago, Joe Frank and his fellow co-owners—Kevin Gleason, Scot Filgis and Ryan Watt (all proud Loveland residents)—opened Fowling Warehouse with fellow co-owner Tim Sontag. Today, they welcome about 3–5 thousand patrons each month.
“The biggest question we get is how to pronounce the name,” Joe acknowledges with a laugh. A soft “o” is apropos—he describes the sport as a mash-up of bowling and football.
At Fowling Warehouse, lanes are set up similar to those in cornhole-type games, but distanced 48 feet apart with each side supporting a set of traditional bowling pins. Up to five players (Fowlers) on each side alternate tossing a regulation-size football toward the pins, attempting to knock them over before their opponents do. “It’s simple!” Joe says. “We like to say it’s a ‘don’t-have-to-think-just-drink’ kind of a game.”
It’s a passion for casual pastime that came to life in his own backyard.
“When I first moved to Loveland, my neighbor [Kevin, now a Fowling co-owner] was telling me about Chris Hutt—a buddy in Detroit—who had come up with this new game while tailgating at the Indy 500,” Joe says. “It sounded like fun! So, we built two sets and started playing it ourselves on Friday nights.”
It wasn’t long before they were attracting a crowd. “People would see us as they walked through the neighborhood … the next thing we knew, there was a small group showing up to join us every weekend,” Joe reports.
That growing group would eventually organize DIY tournaments for more than 50 different players (again, all in their own backyard), with kegs of frothy beer and a live band on deck.
The fast attraction they noticed toward the game convinced Joe and Kevin to visit Detroit, where game founder Chris had just opened the first Fowling Warehouse. That trip sealed the deal—the rest, as they say, is history.
“It’s a combination of beer pong, a little bit of horseshoes, with some cornhole rules … we thought it was just perfect for Cincinnati,” Joe says. They soon after purchased the first Fowling franchise in 2019. Today, there are five locations across the Midwest, with more in the works.
“It’s kind of cool how this started out for us, playing the game in our backyard,” Joe admits. “And now, it’s a business.”
But Fowling Warehouse Cincinnati has become so much more than just a business—they’ve already helped local school districts and other groups raise up to $100,000 in a single night.
“We’re proud to help out by hosting fundraisers for charities and schools,” Joe says. “We even have a term for it … ‘fowlanthropy’! It’s a big part of our culture, to provide that atmosphere … where it’s easy to throw an event while having a good time.”
He recalls an especially successful event raising funds for Ohio Valley Voices, a Loveland school empowering children who are deaf or hard of hearing to learn to speak. The turnout was so great that his team even moved fowling lanes to accommodate their University of Cincinnati DAAP-curated fashion show.
Aside from everyday fun and benefit events (and most recently, a craft beer and spirits fest), there’s also trivia nights and family-focused hours to add to Fowling’s appeal. The space, which can host over 350 players at any given time, offers a fully stocked bar and—if your party’s big enough—full facility rental is even available.
“We have 30 lanes, and they fill up fast,” Joe notes. About half are usually reserved in advance, while the others are open game for walk-in patrons.
From its humble beginnings in an Indy 500 parking lot to its accumulating fandom in a Loveland backyard—and forward to plans for expansion beyond the Midwest—Joe says he and his co-owners are thrilled to see their favorite new game thriving not far from where they first took it up. Tucked away between Pleasant Ridge and Oakley, the Warehouse is only a short drive from Loveland—and trust us, it’s worth the ride.
“Loveland is our number one patron demographic,” Joe says, laughing and beaming with pride. “We’re not entirely certain why, but we still think it’s pretty cool.” Fowl on, Loveland. Fowl on!
FowlingWarehouse.com/Cincinnati/ | 2940 Highland Ave, Cincinnati | 513.900.0959
