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Since opening in February, Not an Arcade in Hesperia has become a popular entertainment destination for gamers of all ages.
Located on Bear Valley Road, just east of In-N-Out Burger, this independently owned company specializes in retro merch and Japanese games, or Japanese versions of certain games like House of the Dead 4, InitialD, Point Blank X and Taiko No Tatsujin or “Drum Master”.
Store co-owner and manager J’son Albano said he and his business partner Sam Choe wanted to create “a safe and family-friendly place for people to hang out and have fun.”
“People want to hang out, hang out and have some fun and friendly competition,” said Albano, 25. “We have something for everyone.”
Ethan LaComb, 20, the store’s music and games technician, said the company could also be called “more than just arcades” because it offers both arcade and non-arcade games.
“We also have a bunch of older and newer consoles, so you can play a variety of games,” Albano said. “You can play games like Guitar Hero, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, and Star Wars Battlefront.”
Other gaming products include pool tables, foosball tables, claw machines, punching bags, air hockey and basketball hoops. There are also many card and board games in the store.
“Our pool table, karaoke booth and punching bag are probably our three most popular games,” Albano said. “Lots of daters come here and the girls seem to really enjoy the karaoke boxes.”
On Monday, Kyle Stanton, 21, and his friend Brian donned boxing gloves and challenged each other to the ultimate boxing match.
“We come here about once a week,” said Stanton, who lives in Apple Valley. “We hung out here for hours and had a great time. We loved the punching bag, the pool table and the zombie apocalypse.”
The store hosts daily contests, and each winner receives a gift certificate to a local business.
“All of our gift certificates come from local small businesses,” Albano said. “We really believe in supporting our local community businesses.”
Gamers pay by the hour, starting at $18 for the first hour and $50 for an all-day pass.
Albano said gamers range from elementary school children to older adults.
“I met three dads who said they were too old to play games,” Albano said. “Once we introduced them to the game and got them to play, they got hooked and really started having fun. One of the dads said he felt like a kid again.”
The arcade also sells a variety of Japanese and other Asian-themed snacks and drinks.
“Over the years, and especially since COVID-19, there has been a growing interest in Japanese culture in the United States,” LaComb said. “People are increasingly interested in these types of games, snacks and candies.”
Food and beverage samples available in-store include Hello Panda, a cookie-like treat with a milk-flavored filling. Plus, Orion O!karto Potato Chips, Squid Bento Snacks, and Japanese Soda Pops.
Visitors entering the store are greeted by an employee who uses a handheld metal detector scanner to make sure they are not carrying weapons.
“We are a weapons-free, alcohol-free and drug-free zone,” Albano said. “We’re here to keep everyone safe.”
Albano credits some of his store’s growth to several Tik Tok videos that “went viral.”a video from @kcarolina.h has over 126,000 pageviews and another @rodeo.bird Has more than 481,000.
“It’s been great to see how quickly we’ve grown,” Albano said. “We want more people to get to know us and come in and give it a try.”
Not an Arcade is open Monday to Friday from 2pm to 2am and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2am.
Not an Arcade is located at 17153 Bear Valley Road Suite 1 in Hesperia. For more information, call 760-917-7773 or search @NotanArcade_Hesperia on Instagram.
Daily News reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz can be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
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