Zelky’s is 40!
Iconic Boardwalk Arcade Keeps the Fun Going
by Matt Harding
When industry veteran Chuck Weiner lost his position with Baltimore’s General Vending when the company closed down, he knew it was time to go into business for himself.
In 1985, he opened Weiner Distributing and the Rehoboth, Delaware, boardwalk outpost now known as Zelky’s Beach Arcade North (which was originally Dolle’s Arcade). “He utilized the arcade as a working showroom,” explained Matt Weiner, Chuck’s son and the general manager at Zelky’s. “He was able to fill the place with new equipment each season – from Memorial Day to Labor Day.” Chuck, by the way, still owns the business while son Matt runs all the day-to-day operations.
As you might expect, Matt, who was born in ’88, grew up behind the ticket counter and running around the arcade. Yes, playing games, but also working the floor from an early age.
“I’ve been involved my whole life – spending summers fixing and cleaning used equipment at Weiner Distributing before it got shipped to customers,” he said, recalling that he was strapped with a change belt at age 7 going around asking players if they needed quarters.
After graduating high school in 2006 in Baltimore, Matt moved down to Rehoboth for his first full summer working at the arcade as a general attendant. For the first couple of summers, he brought different groups of friends down with him.
“Being able to provide so much fun for people was incredible,” Weiner said. That meant not only the arcade patrons but his buddies, too. “It’s great because we’re not just selling products – we’re selling fun and memories.”
Very much a family business, he added: “Just about everybody that is directly related to my father has worked at the arcade at some point.” Matt’s mother ran the arcade for its first couple of seasons. His three living grandparents, Donald, Billie and Charlotte all worked there the next few seasons. Siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles have all chipped in some help over the years.
Matt has three children of his own and proudly shared, “My 6-year-old daughter is already coming up with ideas for the mini-golf.” (That rooftop mini-golf is in the works at the Zelky’s South location; more on that in a minute!)
Being a distributor, Chuck always had the best new games, selling off the gently-used equipment each summer for a better batch next year. “That’s how we became a staple of having great games on the boardwalk,” Matt said. “Early on, there was a lot more change in the games from year to year.”
They were also early adopters of redemption games. Tickets were flowing out of many arcade machines at Dolle’s, starting with the iconic Skee-Ball and Pokerino.
As the decades passed, with a pink elephant logo that became locally famous, the beach arcade continued gaining popularity. They grew to three locations, all in Rehoboth Beach, and changed the name to Zelky’s in 2018; it was part of a childhood nickname of Chuck that his sister gave him.
Zelky’s Beach Arcade North sits at the original location at 5 N. Boardwalk. But, after 40 years, this is their final season in the space, which is being demolished. A 4-story hotel with retail will be built in its place. But fret not, Zelky’s will be back there in a couple seasons once the project is completed.
“Our building is almost 100 years old,” Weiner explained. “It was originally a bowling alley and candy store, and we are still operating our games on the original bowling alley lanes.” While he noted that a lot of residents and tourists are sad to see it go, he added, “I’m sad too, but also very excited for a brand-new space.”
Currently, the arcade sits at 5,000 sq. ft. with about 100 machines. On the northern end of the boardwalk, it offers more of a family atmosphere, slower pace, and is home to their shaved ice stand. Weiner said they’re in the process of bringing in retro video games for the final season.
As for the future of this location, Zelky’s has expressed to the development team, “The more space you’re able to give us, we’ll be able to fill it with games and make a stronger anchor at the north side of the boardwalk.” So, stay tuned in the next couple of years to see what’s to come!
The second location at 115 S. Boardwalk, which became Zelky’s Beach Arcade South, opened in 2013. They expanded to about 6,000 sq. ft. following a first season at 1,600 sq. ft. The Weiners purchased the building last year after the previous owner, Joseph Ryan, died. Ryan’s Beach Shop was located next door.
Now, Zelky’s South will be just under 10,000 sq. ft. and feature a 19-hole mini-golf course on what’ll be dubbed Zelky’s Rooftop Terrace. The classic-looking course was created by Lomma Championship Miniature Golf Courses, the purported inventor of the famous windmill hole.
Weiner said they’re decorating the rooftop space with a private garden-type vibe that’ll be perfect for parties and even weddings with a beautiful view of the ocean. The space will be fully completed early this summer.
While prize and ticket cranes continue to be the brunt of games at Zelky’s locations, the new space at Zelky’s South will allow them to put in some larger video games, including two Top Gun: Maverick units and four Fast & Furious racers (both from Raw Thrills), as well as LAI Games’ Asphalt Moto Blitz DX.
“We’re very big in merchandise, especially being on the boardwalk. We don’t need to change the crane – we need to change the items in the crane.” He noted that Zelky’s is really into trends and what’s popular, which is currently the Minecraft, Sonic and Squishmallows brands, as well as YETI tumblers, AirPods and Beats by Dre headphones.
Weiner said the Wizard of Oz and Willy Wonka coin pushers from Elaut, as well as the company’s cranes, continue to be among their top earners. Players also love the Prize Time cranes from Smart Industries and the water shooting game Dinosaur Era from Coastal Amusements.
“Virtual reality is big, too,” he said. In an effort to get more repeat play, he added, “We’re actually going to be lowering the price per play of our virtual reality this year.”
They switched over from quarters in 2018 and have been on the Embed card system ever since – taking advantage of all the features more and more over the years.
A third location for Zelky’s, the Central arcade, opened on the Fourth of July in 2017. It closed a little over a year ago after the company launched their 4,000-sq.-ft. mall location called Zelky’s Beach Arcade Bayside in January 2024. (The venue is open seven days a week, year-round, while the boardwalk locations are open five days a week, also year-round, and every day in the summer season.)
“There’s more people in the area than there used to be,” Weiner said, mentioning that all Zelky’s locations went year-round starting about a decade ago. “Our area’s just really growing. We moved down here from Baltimore full time at that point.”
With the 40th anniversary this year, Zelky’s is offering all kinds of specials and promotions, and is setting up a new retail area for Zelky’s-branded merchandise. One fun event will be the Beach Ball Drop, where they’ll drop a couple hundred Zelky’s beach balls off the roof and offer $1-off shaved ice all weekend for those lucky enough to grab a ball.
“It’s really a significant milestone to hit 40 years,” Weiner said. “We are now a second-generation business, serving fun to a third generation of guests. I’ve watched customers from 2-4 years old grow into adults over the years and then bring their own kids in for the same fun they remember growing up. My own kids are growing up in the arcade, and we will see what happens, but maybe one day they’ll tell me they want to take over the family business, too, like I told my father.
“Meanwhile, over these past 40 years, especially in the last 10 or so, Zelky’s has gone through tremendous growth,” he said. “and we plan to keep growing, adding more locations and new activities to satisfy the entertainment needs of our local tourist crowd to make the next 40 years even more spectacular.”
