Tommy’s Arcade will close its doors on Nelson Street this June, said the business’s owner Tommy Stuart.
Stuart said Tommy’s Arcade has been a valuable resource to the community since its opening in 2021.
“It’s been a good, consistent place for people to have get-togethers without having to drive to [another town],” said Stuart. Tommy’s Arcade has been commonly utilized as a home for business meetings, children’s birthday parties and casual gatherings, according to Stuart.
Community members said they are disappointed by the arcade’s closing. But Stuart said that he hopes to relocate his business to a location with more utilities.
“I always knew I would outgrow this location because it doesn’t have room for a kitchen,” Stuart said.
While the arcade receives business throughout the day, success is impaired by the arcade’s inability to sell food. “I don’t do enough business without having food and drink. I lose a lot of foot traffic at lunch and dinner time without having food, so it makes more sense to lie low until the next opportunity,” said Stuart.
Finding a new space has not been easy, Stuart said. Rent prices in Lexington have been rising, according to the Rockbridge Report. This limits spaces that would be feasible to rent. Stuart said that while there are some possibilities for a future location, they are too early in development to speak on.
Students at Washington and Lee University said they’ll miss the community space.
“I think it’s a nice place to hang out. In a place like Lexington there isn’t always a lot to do and having an activity to do is really valuable. I’m kind of sad that I’m only finding out about it now,” said Tess Looby, ’28, a student who recently visited Tommy’s Arcade. “Now that I know about it, I’m going to try to go more before it shuts down.”
W&L’s Gaming Club has also had a close connection to the arcade. “We’ve been going to the arcade as a way to support a local business and have a nice venue for people to relax,” said Darnell Pelzer, ’25, the co-president of the Gaming Club. The Gaming Club has hosted monthly events at Tommy’s Arcade to provide students with a free experience to explore a wide variety of games. For these events, the Gaming Club reserves the arcade and pays for participating students for an hour, so that students are able to relax and play games together.
The Gaming Club co-presidents also said the arcade creates a space for students to feel more comfortable with gaming.
“Some people don’t want to go to our general body meetings because they don’t know how to get into [gaming], so the arcade is less of a commitment for them,” said Sarah Eaton, ’25, the club’s other co-president.
Losing the arcade as an open space will be a challenge for the Gaming Club in the future, Eaton said.
“We’ll have to get a little more creative with collaborations with other clubs, so we’ll have to think a little more about how we want to develop those events in the future,” said Eaton.
Tommy’s Arcade will remain open until June.
“I hope that while this location is still running that the community still wants to come and play some games before it closes,” Stuart said. “It’s business as usual here until then.”
