The Archives, an arcade bar in Burlington, Vt., has been coping with Covid-19 like everyone else – only without its video games.
While no longer mandated to do so, owner Matt Walters made the decision to keep his 38 arcade games off, driven by the possibility that the virus can be transmitted via surfaces, according to Seven Days. “It’s a big part of our revenue,” he said. We knew that by cutting that off, it was going to hurt. But it was the right decision.” The silver lining, he said, was that the business was saving about $500 a month on the electric bill.
So now, The Archives has been focused on being a bar. That hasn’t gone too easily, though, as the Burlington City Council recently passed rules that prohibit alcohol sales after 11 p.m., forcing them to close during normally lucrative hours. “I feel like it’s political,” added Walters. “Their reasoning for doing this is completely wrong.”
Back in early March, he was preparing to open a second location after an unusually hopping first couple of months in 2020. Today, it’s day by day and “watching the pennies.” Stay up-to-date with the arcade-less arcade bar at www.thearchivesbar.com.