Reclaim Arcade Finds A Pandemic Normal In Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Reclaim Arcade's owners were deep in their planning stages in the early portions of spring 2020. After years of collecting arcade cabinets in their office and running a combination museum exhibit and video store, Tim Owens and Jim Groom planned to open their arcade in May 2020. Then the pandemic came.

Their plans were put on hold before construction began on their new space.

"In some ways we were incredibly lucky to not have already been in construction and deep in debt when the pandemic hit," Owens told Patch. "It was also equal parts disappointment to have to table the project with no clear idea how long it would go on."

Two months of waiting turned into three months. Three months changed to four months. A four-month postponement became indefinite.

"By the summer it was clear our original vision of a full kitchen, 30-tap bar system, and roughly $250,000 of construction costs was not going to materialize, so it forced us to begin thinking through what we could do on our own on a smaller scale," Owens said. "Jim [Groom] and I began doing the work ourselves to transform our existing space and we set a goal of early 2021 to open, pending the situation."

On Jan. 29, 2021, Reclaim Arcade opened its doors at 2324 Plank Road in Fredericksburg. The arcade is actually located inside Reclaim Video, a family video store that offers a selection of movies from the '80s and '90s on VHS, Betamax, and LaserDisc.

"We built Reclaim Video as a bit of a fun experiment next to our office where we would hire part time employees to rent out VHS tapes," Owens said. "It was mostly a museum exhibit and an experience and our first real test of creating a space like that."

The facility also hosts the 1980s Console Living Room, an exhibit that began at the University of Mary Washington in 2015. Now, it acts as a lobby for the arcade, where visitors can watch period-appropriate television, use a VCR, or play some Atari.

Owens noted their goal was to create a time machine of sorts. They want to take visitors back to the '80s. For some, that period represents childhood. For others, its a halcyon age typified by neon clothes and hair bands.

"Our goal was to transport visitors back in time and jog their memories of youth and from the feedback we get regularly that goal was accomplished," Owens said. "The video store reminds our customers of the experience of browsing shelfs rather than scrolling a streaming service and the excitement of picking out a film. The living room is a favorite for visitors wanting to unwind a bit from the arcade games and play Atari or watch a movie in a space that really feels like your own living room growing up."

The arcade itself offers more than 60 arcade cabinets including classics like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong alongside lesser known titles like Elevator Action and Karate Champ. They also have an assortment of pinball machines themed after cultural touchstones like Ghostbusters, Stranger Things, and Back To The Future.

The arcade has still had to put some plans on hold, like their kitchen and bar taps, but they're thrilled with the support they've received from the community.

"We've felt the support of the community from day one," Owens said. " Feedback on the experience is overwhelmingly positive and a real joy is to see people of all ages enjoy the space from kids as young as four years old, all the way up to grandparents, and everything in between. While the space defines a moment in time, the experience is one that everyone can love."

Starting a new business presents challenges at any time. For Owens and Groom, they faced particular challenges as they tried to follow government guidelines and keep visitors safe throughout the pandemic.

The arcade worked to follow guidance from the City of Fredericksburg, which implemented a 50-person limit on the facility, along with guidance from the governor's office, which recommended they operate at 30 percent of capacity. "For small businesses it's high stakes where sometimes following all the rules by the book rewards you with punishment," Owens said.

Despite the unique challenges of opening an '80s-themed facility in the midst of a pandemic, Owens said he has been pleased with the outcome. "It was a leap of faith to see if people would respond during such a hard time and I'm pleased to say they absolutely did."