Help Arcade 2084 Stay Open
Arcade 2084 is an authentic 80s arcade, just as it was in the early 80s! We have many of the greatest titles from the peak of arcade popularity. Every game continues to play on the equivalent of 25¢, like they did in the 80s, only we use custom tokens, just like in the 80s! Arcade 2084's restaurant and lounge has a futuristic environment with a time-travel narrative, filled with genuine 80s pop music, and we feature real 80s food and drink, awesome 80s beers, and radical 80s inspired specialty cocktails! Located in an historic American downtown, it is more than just a restaurant, bar, and arcade, it is a celebration of 80s American pop culture that has already attracted Oregonians from across the state.
When Hillsboro asked for an arcade, we delivered, sacrificing everything to make it happen. Banks and local Credit Unions each took the time to tell us that we did not qualify for loans nor business credit. No private investor showed interest, and family and friends were limited to offering well-wishes.
One of us sold our Hillsboro home of two years and also liquidated a 401k, the other expending all credit reserves to acquire the games and equipment needed for the project. After a two-year search for a location, we signed our lease in February, before most of us were aware of the coming pandemic, and took possession in April.
Between the time we signed our lease and the time we took possession, the stay at home order came down from the state, so for 3.5 months, we paid rent without benefit of revenue, with only two weeks of rent abatement for buildout, and by the time we opened our doors in mid-July, we had zero startup capital left for advertising, inventory, or payroll.
The pandemic has hit everyone hard. We had only SNAP to carry us as we opened our new business. Arcade 2084 did not qualify for PPP, nor most other kinds of aid, in part because we were not open in the previous year and couldn't show losses from the pandemic because our business had not been opened, already. We did not qualify for stimulus as individuals, either, because of the previous years' house sale, and unemployment compensation was delayed for over 3 months -until it was too late to prevent our falling behind on apartment rent and expenses, combining with COVID related delays to make opening and running the arcade/restaurant exceptionally expensive.
The arcade languished with almost no traffic for its first month and half, with the wildfires and smoke joining the pandemic to depress attendance. We tapped the last of our credit reserves to pay crew and hoped for the best.
However, the lack of advertising budget resulting from bleeding our startup capital during the first shutdown, combined with low attendance resulting from lack of events in Downtown Hillsboro, lack of office workers in Downtown Hillsboro, lack of awareness of the arcade and legitimate concern for safety among those who do know we opened, makes remaining open problematic. We have been operating hand to mouth each day, using modest daily gains to acquire more inventory of that which was sold the day before.
This new, two-week(?) shutdown makes our survival doubtful. We have been in need of aid since before opening and we need help now to weather the next two weeks, or maybe more, to meet fixed expenses such as rent, insurance, utilities, etc.
We humbly ask for your help. On behalf of the citizens of Hillsboro, who have been our guests and enthusiastically convey how grateful they are to have this arcade locally, where everybody is welcome to come have fun, we ask for your help to keep Arcade 2084 open. We all would be very grateful.
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