Tommy’s Arcade Visit and Review

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Lexington locals enjoy gaming at the arcade

Evan Roney, Reporter

Tommy’s Arcade is a new shop in downtown Lexington. It is a place where children and adults alike can go to hangout and have unlimited play on various arcade games and pinball machines. The design is very welcoming and enjoyable, and it is a great place to hangout with friends and relax. The arcade allows for customers to bring in their own food, such as pizza or other foods not sold inside.

Downtown Lexington lacks entertainment related businesses, as it is filled with restaurants, shops, and cafes. Tommy’s Arcade provides the much needed fun that is lacking in historical Lexington. The well run, well priced, and it is a well needed arcade is a new must see for RCHS students. There are also game tournaments currently in the works as well as gaming dojos to assist new players in learning some of the more challenging games. Tommy’s is perfect for a party too, as the arcade allows for party reservations so students can enjoy the fun with friends uninterrupted.

When asked why he started the arcade Stuart said, “I was a kid once, I never grew out of it, I always wanted to have my own arcade and I wanted Lexington to be able to get together again and have a community space.”

The high quality games and machines come from all over, Tommy explains, “Some of them I bought from private sellers, some of them are sold by distributors, I even have some coming from Japan.” 

All the aspects of the arcade are run and done by Tommy, but with the amount of work required to keep the store operational he is considering the hiring of employees, “I’ve budgeted it out to have some employees come and help me out on particularly busy days.” 

This would be a good job opportunity for any students who are interested in arcade related work.

Tommy’s Arcade is located at 5 W Nelson St, Lexington, VA 24450, it is open Monday- Wednesday from 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Thursday – Friday from 3:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., Saturday from 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m., and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.. All the games are free and instead, there is an entrance fee of $10.00 for the first hour, $8.00 for the second, and $6.50 for every hour after that. There are many popular games including: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and Guitar Hero Arcade. The arcade also has Iron Maiden, Attack From Mars Remake, and Star Wars pinball machines.