Time for another look at some new locations that are opening their doors out there! Thanks to Michael L. and George R. for the tips on a couple of these.
Rupert’s Kids Arcade Opens In Shelbyville, IN
Coming across non-profit arcade efforts are still rare but the challenges in operating such an organization do not dissuade everyone from giving it a try. Such is the case with Rupert’s Kids Arcade which opened up in Indiana this past February 4th. This arcade has been developed by a Hoosier celebrity Rupert Boneham, who has been a star on the reality TV show Survivor more than once as well as a candidate for governor back in 2012.
The goal of the arcade project as told by this article at Wibc.com is to take the profits from the arcade and put them into Mr. Boneham’s job training & mentoring program that goes by the name Rupert’s Kids. As Rupert says: ““Everything we’re making is going back to our community teaching young men and women how to make that legal living, sense of self-worth and work ethic.” When it comes to arcades providing teens something else to do, this certainly will help cover that in a different way.
As for the arcade itself, it offers: Asteroids, Batman Forever pinball, Centipede (cabaret), Hydro Thunder, Jurassic Park pinball, Mortal Kombat 4, OutRun2, Pac-Man (cabaret), Rescue 911 pinball, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (upright), Track & Field, WWF Royal Rumble Pinball and more. The charitable organization page is here; official Facebook page for the arcade is here.
2 Eatertainment/Bar-arcades Looking At Some Friendly Competition In Richmond, VA
These concepts are still a little ways off from opening, one in particular hoping to open by April this year. But if you are in the Richmond, VA area then it looks like you will be getting more arcade entertainment by the end of the year either way. Read up on the developments at Wtvr.com
Super Arcade Progress
It wasn’t long ago that Super Arcade in Azusa, CA had announced that they finally had managed to find a location and had begun remodeling work. In case you were curious, this tweet shows the latest…restrooms are important!
Just another update. Additional restroom being framed and existing ones being worked on finally! Slow and steady wins the race! #progress pic.twitter.com/pdXVj6nzl0
— Super Arcade !!! (@SuperDojo) February 13, 2017
New Dave & Busters Opens In Columbia, SC
No games list as usual but you can always assume that they will have some of the latest games on hand along with certain titles that show up at all D&B locations.
Come shake it up with us today for our Grand Opening in Columbiana Centre! The only place to Eat, Drink, Play and Watch Sports in Columbia! pic.twitter.com/lWhpmaCKxE
— Dave & Buster's (@DaveandBusters) February 13, 2017
New Round1USA Opening In Lithonia, GA This Month
I haven’t seen an exact date yet but it is supposed to be February for the opening of a Round1USA location in Georgia. Below is a tweet showing their job fair to find employees for the facility; Bemanistyle.com has a breakdown of all of Round 1’s venue plans for this year and next. I am a little surprised to see one location on track for 2018 – one not very far from me in Sandy, UT at a ‘rival’ mall. A few arcades have been tried there but none have succeeded so far. There is plenty of space however and bowling is pretty big here so I imagine they will fare better than Gameworks did in Salt Lake (that facility closed about six months after opening).
Visit us at our job fair at The Mall at Stonecrest (2929 Turner Hill Road Suite 2800, Lithonia, GA 30038) pic.twitter.com/BC3VL2tC1K
— Round1 USA (@Round1USA) January 26, 2017
My New Location Progress
I suppose that this is a good time to update you on how my new location is going at the moment. This will mark the 4th location that I have been in over the past nine years, all within the same mall. This time it was my choice however – we just need more space to expand with. The store is pretty close to where I am now but it offers 1600+ sq. ft. So that will mean a party/event room and more space for games. We’re also looking to make this look nicer than any previous store…I haven’t always been happy with the look or the theme of my locations but sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve got (skills and budget wise). This past weekend we made the most progress yet – thanks to a carpenter that my dad knows, we borrowed a carpet removal machine which made that task 100x easier than it was by trying to pull up that much carpet by hand. The next challenge is removing the existing carpet glue; acid washing the floors then building the party room, painting the walls, installing a new desk, etc., etc. If all goes well then I’m hoping that we’ll be moved over and open by the end of March but I’ll refrain from pegging a date down since that would be arbitrary.
Just took this now – I remember back in the late 80s/early 90s when the location was a Kay Bee Toy Store. They had linoleum in place and after removing some carpet, we found that some of the linoleum has stayed in place over all these years. Funny thing is that I remember these tiles with the blue, red and yellow spots on them. Ah, weird random memories:
That is all I have found for now. If you find yourself near any of these venues out there, give them your support by dropping by and playing some games!
