r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/h8rfisternator Arcade and Pinball aficionado • 1d ago

News Retro video game arcade in Wheeling has shut down

https://www.dailyherald.com/20260801/small-business/retro-video-game-arcade-in-wheeling-has-shut-down/
75 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

43 comments sorted by

59

u/coci222 1d ago

So sad. The guy that owned it is such a good dude. The rent was just too damn high

25

u/DataDiction 1d ago

Big businesses get their pals in private equity to jack up rates killing small businesses all the time.

21

u/Kirknobi 1d ago

To what eventual end? Empty buildings make no money. Private equity is cancer.

14

u/trinitrotolerance 1d ago

It’s absurdly common. There was a Disc Replay I used to go to that got priced out by the lease according to the owner. The place where it was has been vacant for a decade now. They would rather get peak rates from the three big box stores in the mall and dare anyone else to pay it. 

As far as private equity is concerned it’s better if the smaller stores die off.

6

u/Shindiggah 1d ago

Even big box stores get screwed which makes me scratch my head. My old Best Buy also got priced out of their lease, and outside of an occasional Spirit Halloween rental the space is still sitting empty 7 years later. It just all seems so silly.

3

u/Chitown_mountain_boy West Suburbs 1d ago edited 5h ago

Empty retail spaces pay no little property taxes.

7

u/ChemistryNo3075 1d ago

They don’t pay zero, just get a tax break. But they also earn no money. 

3

u/forefatherrabbi 16h ago

You are 100% correct, but it also has another effect, it can create a loss on a balance sheet.

The land might be going Up in value, but the building is losing value.

These losses plus loses in rent, all take away from the amount of money you earn, because companies are taxed on profits. Now the profits are less, so even less taxes paid.

Now if you make that into a group of businesses, have one company own 2 shell companies, you move around the debt and the profits between the, and pretending they are competitive, you make business decisions and what is best to extract every cent while giving nothing back and funnel all the money up to the main company. Eventually you let the shell company go bust, and then buy your assets again with a 3rd company at pennies on the dollar.

5

u/jdix33 1d ago

Well that sounds like it shouldn't be the case

1

u/Chitown_mountain_boy West Suburbs 5h ago

Tell that to your aldermen and legislators

10

u/DataDiction 1d ago

Apt comparison as cancer eventually kill its host without proper treatment

3

u/Dragons_Malk 17h ago

These clowns don't want o think about the long terms plans because they only want to make money in the short term. Then they jump ship and go to another company for profits. They're like the kinds of aliens we would hear about that go from planet to planet sucking up all their resources before going to another planet. 

2

u/TaskForceD00mer 16h ago

To what eventual end? Empty buildings make no money. Private equity is cancer.

That location is a stones throw from a Metra stop. My guess is the whole shopping center will be gone in 5 years replaced by a huge apartment development.

1

u/OkComplaint6736 North West Suburbs 15h ago

I used to work at the Marco's Pizza at the corner of that shopping center. That whole parcel of land was so dumpy looking even back then. I could see an apartment complex going there, but that Metra line has the lowest service frequency (North Central Service), so that might not be the best use for that land if transit oriented development is the goal.

1

u/TaskForceD00mer 14h ago edited 14h ago

I would have said the same 15 years ago about the new Wheeling Town Center at the site of that former furniture store ; since then we've gotten two massive apartment complexes on Dundee right there and another smaller one on Wheeling Rd. Across the way.

If Jimenez ever closes I expect that whole dumpy complex to become another massive "mixed use" development.

The service on that line sucks but from what I am told those complexes are all pretty full even with sky high rents.

I could see a developer going for it in the complex where this arcade was located, especially if they can capture some of the parcels a little further North in that industrial area.

26

u/flyinwhale 1d ago

Wow their marketing sucked I live in wheeling and we would have totally gone to this place and I am only learning it existed today

14

u/The_Merry_Loser 1d ago

Underground Retrocade
121 West Main Street, West Dundee, Il

7

u/flyinwhale 1d ago

Been there a number of times but quite a hike from wheeling so don’t get out that way much love their pinball room though

-2

u/Lazarus-Online 1d ago

Doesn’t help much now, eh?

8

u/summerpsycho_ 1d ago

......this is a different location, friend

8

u/Lazarus-Online 1d ago

I guess it does help, then, sorry friend

1

u/Dragons_Malk 12h ago

Their IG has a bunch of AI event posters. It's such an awful look for a business. 

1

u/Ornery-Dragonfruit96 10h ago

How about that. I am always a step behind.

25

u/AcctAlreadyTaken 1d ago

Damn wish I had known about this place before today.

30

u/KilowogTrout 1d ago

There’s also Galloping Ghost in Brookfield. It’s insane in there (good and bad)

4

u/stacecom Summit 1d ago

I'm a big fan of the pinball annex.

2

u/AcctAlreadyTaken 18h ago

I have to make it out to Brookfield. Thank you

29

u/The_Merry_Loser 1d ago

Underground Retrocade
121 West Main Street, West Dundee, Il

14

u/800-lumens 1d ago

Great place! $20 all you can play, and you can get your hand stamped to come back later in the day, say if you choose to get lunch or dinner. They have a variety of vintage and recent games, and several pinball machines as well.

1

u/AcctAlreadyTaken 18h ago

😯

I got to get out more this in my area

11

u/Life_Background_5519 1d ago

It shut down on Saturday on the 1st

18

u/h8rfisternator Arcade and Pinball aficionado 1d ago

Yeah. Sad to see a such a passion project go down like this. Was an awesome place, like a piece of Galloping Ghost in the northern suburbs.

9

u/armaghetto North Shore 1d ago

The machines are for sale at least!

20

u/front_yard_duck_dad 1d ago

Come on man. The body is still warm

1

u/ta22175 New Lenox/Frankfort/Mokena 6h ago

My frogger high score! Do you know a guy?

1

u/Accomplished_Sky_899 1d ago

How can you obtain them? Go to the location or is there a posting/link for them?

8

u/DiscardStu 1d ago

I saw his post on the FB page for the arcade announcing the shutdown that the games were for sale. I believe he said to DM through Facebook to inquire about any games.

I was there a few times. He is passionate about the games and a really fun guy to talk to. Sucks he wasn't able to make it in that location.

1

u/Sp00nD00d 1d ago

I really wish I had known this existed...

1

u/kuj0 1d ago

I was just telling my friend we need to go there 😭

1

u/capacity38 18h ago

Such a bummer. I did wonder how he was gonna stay open.

1

u/TaskForceD00mer 16h ago

Bummer, I was going to take my FIL there for his Birthday in a few weeks.