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Almost two months after closing its Palmer Township location, VR Cafe will now permanently close its Lehigh Valley Mall location.
The closure marks the end of the business ventures of married owners Josh and Erika Pados, and the couple’s business partner Dakoda Finken, both from Pen Argyl. They originally opened at the Palmer Park shopping center in 2018 and, following their huge success, opened a second branch at the Lehigh Valley shopping center in Whitehall next year.
However, VR Cafe, like many other businesses, has suffered financially during the coronavirus pandemic and has struggled post-pandemic with supply chain hurdles and inflationary costs.These factors lead to owners closed palmer this february Because they try to keep it open in Whitehall.
The owner now plans to continue operating at Lehigh Valley Mall through the end of April, but will be liquidating all equipment between now and then. Items include computers, game consoles, VR headsets, desks, gaming chairs, TVs, and arcade machines.
The owner has taken Business Facebook Page The decision was announced to loyal customers on Monday. The post includes video clips of staff and guests who have been at the site over the years.
“After two months of research and calculations, VR Cafe and its staff have decided to also close our Lehigh Valley Mall location,” the post said. “This decision has not been easy to come by as we have always had a loyal customer base and we really want to continue for as long as possible to ensure everyone can continue to enjoy their time at our cafes, but we are aware of the Some worrying trends.”
“Thank you to everyone for the past 6 years, it’s been a fun journey with lots of ups and downs. It’s not a ‘goodbye’, it’s just a ‘see you later’ in the form of something new!” the post added.
Josh Pados told lehighvalleylive.com on Monday afternoon that after the March 2020 shutdown, the pandemic has left businesses voluntarily tapping their savings accounts. However, the silver lining for the Whitehall site with the Palmer Park shopping center is more patronage.
“Since our Lehigh location is busier, it’s been a lot more moderate, but even that store has seen an overall decline over time,” Josh Pados said of the Whitehall closure. “Everything is going well, but as you all know, 2020 came and it did hit our sales, but now it’s time for all of this to catch up to us.”
VR Cafe is called a modern arcade. There’s state-of-the-art virtual reality equipment; an extensive game selection of over 40 choices; console games; and team competitions. The “player” does it all while enjoying a hot coffee, cappuccino, tea or hot cocoa.
While some patrons prefer to play VR games on their own, cafes also have the option to divide time among groups of people or play multiplayer games at individual booths. Others opted for couch co-op TV or a console on a personal monitor. Hand-held controllers and headsets, along with viewing goggles and headphones, provide a fully immersive experience with 360-degree views.
When asked about his next steps, Josh Pados was optimistic about a new venture in the near future. There’s no specific timeline or direction yet, but it will be part of the entertainment industry again, he said.
“We wanted to do it again because we both loved it,” Josh Pados said. “We all laughed and had a good time at work. It didn’t feel like work. It felt like hanging out with a group of friends, always meeting new people.”
“Almost everyone who came in left with a smile or a laugh, or something they’d done to a friend or family member,” he added. “It doesn’t feel like a job when your job is to make people laugh and have a good time.”
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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann can be contacted at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
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