Wicker Park Bar Arcade's Expansion to Open This Weekend

A large brown piece of paper covered the doorway Tuesday of a Milwaukee Avenue bar that will soon become a bigger, better destination for gamers and drinkers.

Emporium Arcade Bar, 1366 N. Milwaukee Ave., will soon expand into a neighboring space, according city of Chicago building permits.

Doug Marks, who co-owns the establishment with his brother Danny Marks, said the expansion has been a long time coming.

"It gets pretty crowded [in the bar] and when it's at its peak, it's hard to move with people playing games," Doug Marks said.

The new space will include another smaller bar, at least seven more pinball machines, a 20-foot movie projector screen and a small stage.

Although the bar does not have a kitchen and won't be adding one in the expansion, owners will continue to let customers to bring their own grub.

Emporium's website encourages customers to carry out from next-door Antique Taco.

In addition to simply creating more physical space for bar-goers, Marks says the screen and stage will allow for hosting fun, creative events. 

"Our thought was we'd work with local restaurants and do a dinner-and-movie series," he says.

Marks also wants to host more live bands.

The Marks brothers opened Emporium Arcade Bar a little more than a year ago, and it is now one of five similar venues in Chicago.

"The arcade bar concept is something that resonates with people," Marks says.