[ad_1]
Allegan — Downtown Allegan will soon be home to a new co-op, bringing ice cream, arcade games and hopefully booze into one fun-filled single venue.
The Regent Arcade Showroom, owned by Matt Adams at 128 Locust St. – will officially partner with Scoopt, an ice cream parlour at 155 Riverfront Plaza, in 2023. These businesses are owned by Adams’ Small Town Amusements.
more:Regent Arcade combines old-time fun with new-age retail
“Small Town Amusements began in 2018 when we first partnered with the city to develop The Regent Arcade,” Adams said. “After COVID, we took over the operation of the mall and moved to our current location, renamed The Regent Arcade Showroom.
“In 2021, Small Town Amusements acquired Scoopt in downtown Riverside, intending to combine the two businesses at the location. But then we entered into a new partnership with ONE Enterprises to create a street location.”
Regent Mall Launched in 2019 At the city’s own historic Regent Theatre, Adams was approached to open an arcade in the building’s old dressing room – now more than a century old. For a while, the city rotated staff from theaters to arcades and run a small concession stand.
But when the pandemic hit, both arcades and theaters closed. By the time businesses began to reopen, the city could not afford to staff the arcades. Adams and his business partner took over until the city decided to lease the space to someone else.
Adams has established itself on Locust Street, a retail space three times its size. Since the store was designed for retail use, he started selling bar stools, mini-refrigerators and supplies — in addition to hosting pinball games and letting customers play.
Now, those opportunities will come as operations move to 118 Brady Street – the former Ironbridge Sports Bar – where the new joint venture will fuse food, drink, ice cream and pinball.
“We’re still in the early stages of planning,” Adams said. “But that’s exactly what we want to do, bring Regent Arcade and Scoopt together. ONE Enterprises continues to make other investments in Allegan, and we’re working with them.”
The entertainment center will serve more than just ice cream.
“We want to get a liquor license and a full bar, which will allow us to get creative with ice cream and slush,” Adams said. “We’ll also have a full kitchen, which gives us the opportunity to improve our menu. We will have a new name for the business that is under development.”
subscription:Learn more about our latest subscription offers!
So far, feedback since the partnership was announced has been positive.
“We’re going to continue to focus on fun, and we’re excited to bring those two things together,” Adams said. “Everybody loves ice cream, and with the rise of pinball and the interest in arcades, we’re going to be able to have everything in one space. We think we’re going to have a very unique place.”
— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrinkcassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram@BizHolland.
[ad_2]
Source link
