11/29/2023 0 Comments Bar pinballVictoria Hanrahan, 29, of Portland, said she’s been coming to Arcadia about once a week since it reopened. Most of the game players were in their 20s and 30s, with a few older. On a recent Monday at Arcadia in Portland, the massive arcade floor had a couple dozen people playing games and sipping drinks by 6 p.m. “People, I think, are looking for fun new places to go to, some place where they can do something interactive, not just sit at the bar and watch sports on TV.” “There’s definitely been a resurgence, people pulling out old video games and pinball machines and dusting them off,” said Scott Smith, a co-owner of Wessie’s. Throw in some alcohol, and you’ve got a perfect place to escape from daily drudgery. Plus, there’s the powerful nostalgia attached to arcades and the pinball or video games of our youth. Portland may be seeing more of them right now because after two years of pandemic-induced inactivity, people want to get out and have fun. A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $50,000 and helped the arcade bar relocate to a much larger space. But it closed in March of 2020 because of COVID-19 and almost went out of business. Arcadia first opened in Portland in 2014 as Arcadia National Bar on Preble Street. Many major cities have had their own arcade bars for a while now. The chain Barcade began in Brooklyn in 2004 and now has locations across the country. Ben McCanna/Staff PhotographerĪrcade bars are not a new trend. Victoria Hanrahan watches while Anthony Catanese, both of Portland, plays the video game Rampage at Arcadia.
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