This month marks the fifth anniversary of Reclaim Arcade, the combo retro video game/pinball arcade and live music venue.
Owner, Tim Owens, admits that January 2021 was not the ideal time to start a business that relies on in-person contact.
IF YOU GO
Reclaim Arcade’s Five Year Anniversary Weekend:
A Sound of Thunder, Friday, Jan 30, 8 p.m.
Retro Active, Saturday, Jan 31, 8 p.m.
2324 Plank Rd, Fredericksburg, $15 cover at the door includes games, ages 18+
“When we opened it wasn’t the height of COVID but it was definitely still COVID times,” Owens said. “I can remember very vividly we had the occupancy restrictions from the governor in terms of how many people could be in the building at any given time. We had mask requirements so there was a question – do we even open? We were trying to open in 2020. That clearly wasn’t going to happen. Then it was like, is it going to happen at all? We had pushed things off and had all the games sitting in the building.”
The solution turned out to be booking the entire arcade to groups who could be their own isolated pod. They limited occupancy to 20 people and reserved two-hour blocks for each group. Employees would carefully wipe down and sterilize all the games between groups.
“We opened in January of 2021 and until the occupancy restrictions were removed in May that was how we operated,” Owens said. “It was successful that way. It was definitely a very different vision than what Reclaim Arcade is today. At the time part of it was disappointing to me. This isn’t what I wanted. I was happy that the community was happy. They were happy that we got opened and that was really exciting to me.”
Once Reclaim was able to open their doors fully, the challenge became how to attract people to their little corner of the Gateway shopping center near Route 3 and I-95. Owens had always wanted to have special events involving music and that started out as karaoke every first Friday. Obtaining an ABC license and adding a kitchen to allow customers to enjoy food and drink attracted more of a crowd and expanding to a neighboring store front gave them room to host bigger events, including DJ nights and eventually live bands.
Partnering with Seth Casana’s Big Wig Productions has given Reclaim a steady lineup of quality live music acts.
“Seth’s very dialed into the music scene in Fredericksburg,” Owens said. “I was not. I don’t know who’s good and who’s not. Seth also understands the vibe of Reclaim Arcade. Not every band is going to fit right. A person playing acoustic guitar is not going to fit as well as somebody who does synth music. We found that punk bands work really well with our audience. He’s very in tune with that. He has a lot of connections and knows a lot of people.”
Two popular acts return to Reclaim for the big fifth anniversary celebration this weekend. A Sound Of Thunder is a band that draws its sound from classic heavy metal like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, except with a female front singer. Retro Active is a 80s and 90s cover band that perform a variety of styles including some glam metal.
“I believe this is our fourth time coming up,” said Josh Schwartz, guitarist for A Sound Of Thunder. “So we’ve been doing an annual show there for the last three years. Now they’re bringing us back a little sooner. When they had their fifth anniversary coming they thought of us.
“I love it as a concept, as someone who would go there and enjoy it. I was born in ‘79 so the vintage arcade feel is near and dear to my heart. I love it as an escape because no matter which way you turn in that place there’s something fun and innocent. It takes you away from the world for however long you’re in there,” he said. “I love it as a venue because they pay us directly and they pay us better than any other local venues. They treat us with respect. They feed us. They’ve invested in a great sound system. They always have a sound man and great lights and projection. They’re respectful and it’s a good environment for people who come and see us.”
Retro Active returns to Fredericksburg Saturday night at Reclaim Arcade.
Retro Active disbanded a few years ago because guitarist Dave Molberg had his assignment with the Marines moved from Quantico to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. The band loved playing at Reclaim so much that they would schedule gigs there when Molberg had a temporary assignment in this area.
“We reunited last year to do their fourth year anniversary and then fate would have it that I’m on temporary orders in to the area the same weekend this year as well,” Molberg said.
Molberg says the venue and Retro Active are a “match made in heaven. “They’re all about our vibe. As soon as they opened I had been bugging them before they even had live bands to get together for a gig. We did a New Year’s there. We did a couple theme nights, a prom night. They’ve been the best to us out of any venue that we’ve played, definitely our favorite place to rock out.”
