On a busy Friday evening, downtown Tyler saw a surge in activity centered around a newly opened bar and grill located at the intersection of North Tyler Street and Hughes Street. Visitors found limited parking, with one patron remarking on the difficulty of finding a spot upon arrival at the Knight Owl. Inside, tables were occupied, signaling strong community interest. n nThe Knight Owl officially launched with a grand opening event featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony, briefly pausing operations during the evening rush. Owned by Dave Rubin, the venue combines a bar, grill, patio, and various entertainment options such as arcade games and indoor beanbag toss. It also preserves the city’s existing bowling alley. n nRubin explained that his vision was to create a destination that offers entertainment while stimulating local economic engagement. He expressed satisfaction with the public’s enthusiastic reception. “It’s been wild,” he said, describing the community response. n nThe project followed approximately six months of renovation work on three adjacent downtown buildings: the bowling center, a former martial arts studio, and the old Terry’s Electronics location. Rubin initially owned one of these structures. After learning the city was selling the Terry’s Electronics building, he began developing plans for a family-oriented entertainment space. n n“I originally wanted to save the bowling lanes,” Rubin said. “Then I started thinking about what would appeal to families and younger visitors.” n nHe drafted a unified layout and collaborated with local contractors to transform the properties. The final setup includes food service, recreational games, pool tables, darts, and arcade machines, in addition to maintaining the bowling operations under Kevin Kuestermeyer, who will manage the lanes and train staff this year. n nVarious components opened progressively through the fall: bowling resumed in September, followed by pool and darts leagues in October. The full kitchen launch marked the official grand opening. “Getting the kitchen operational took time,” Rubin noted. n nHe shared that locals showed curiosity throughout construction, with up to 20 people daily peering through the newly installed windows. The business plans to operate seven days a week, with updates posted on its Facebook page. n nTyler City Administrator Terry East praised the development as a positive addition to a growing community. He highlighted recent growth, including the establishment of the RTR School and the completion of seven new homes over the past year, with more housing projects planned. n nBoth East and Rubin believe the venue can attract visitors from outside Tyler, encouraging them to spend money locally. “When people come here, they also visit Maynard’s, shop for groceries, or fill up at gas stations,” East said. n nPatty Jurrens, a former owner of one of the renovated buildings, attended the opening and expressed delight at the transformation. “I’m really excited,” she said. “This is exactly what I hoped would happen with the space.”
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Knight Owl owner hopes to spark economic activity in Tyler
Tyler’s downtown area was bustling on Friday evening — and a lot of the activity was focused around the new bar and grill at the corner of North Tyler Street and Hughes Street. n n“There wasn’t a parking spot anywhere,” one person said, after coming in the doors at the Knight Owl. n nTables inside were also full. n nThe Knight Owl, which had its grand opening Friday, includes features like a patio and indoor entertainment like arcade games. It’s also keeping Tyler’s bowling alley open. n nOwner Dave Rubin said his goal for the business was to offer something to do in town, and to help encourage economic activity. n n“It’s great for Tyler, and the community,” he said. “A lot of people are just happy to see it here.” n nRubin, co-owner Kaley Bolish and Knight Owl staff members took a short break from the Friday night rush for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. n n“It’s been wild,” Rubin said of local response to the business. n nThe Knight Owl grand opening comes after about six months of work renovating a group of three neighboring buildings in Tyler’s downtown, Rubin said. Those buildings included the bowling alley, a former martial arts center, and the former Terry’s Electronics building. n nRubin owned one of the three properties to start with. After learning from the city of Tyler that the Terry’s Electronics building was for sale, he started coming up with an idea for a venue for different kinds of family-friendly entertainment. n n“I just wanted to keep the bowling alley alive to begin with. Then I thought about kids and families,” Rubin said. n nHe sketched a combined layout for the buildings, and worked with local contractors to renovate the space. n nThe Knight Owl keeps the Tyler bowling lanes, and Rubin said Kevin Kuestermeyer will continue to run the bowling alley this year and help train staff. The Knight Owl also includes a bar and grill, a patio, space for indoor beanbag games, pool tables, darts and arcade games. n nRubin said different features of the Knight Owl launched at different times this fall. Bowling started in September, and pool and darts leagues in October, Rubin said. The Knight Owl’s grand opening came after they got a full kitchen up and running. n n“It took a while to get the kitchen,” Rubin said. n nIt was fun to see people’s reactions to the renovations, Rubin said. n n“When we put the windows in, we had like 20 people a day looking in,” he said. n nRubin said the Knight Owl will be open seven days a week. Additional information is available at the business’s Facebook page. n nTyler City Administrator Terry East said the Knight Owl was a good fit for the Tyler community, at a time when it was growing. Not only is Tyler the home of the new RTR School, but there were seven new homes built in the past year, East said. There were also plans for more home construction in the next couple of years, he said. n nEast and Rubin said they hoped the Knight Owl would be a chance to help draw people into Tyler. n n“When you build a place like this, you get people coming from out of town. They not only come here, but they go to Maynard’s and they do some grocery shopping, they go to the gas station and get some gas,” East said. n nOne of the people at the Knight Owl grand opening Friday was Patty Jurrens. Jurrens was a former owner of one of the downtown buildings renovated into the Knight Owl. She said she was happy to see what was happening with the space. n n“I’m really excited,” Jurrens said. “This is what I wanted it to become.”