AGAWAM — A new business in town, bringing back the old-school video game arcade, has something both for the kids who grew up feeding quarters into the likes of Centipede, Pac-Man, Asteroids and Galaga, and for the youngsters of today who may find those games just as enjoyable as their parents did.
Brewcade, at 303 Walnut St., Agawam, offers token-based play of video games from the 1980s and 1990s, along with a bar stocked with craft beer, wine, hard seltzers and ciders. The arcade also has a pool table, a foosball table, shuffleboard and two dart boards. Brewcade doesn’t have a kitchen, but does offer vending machines with snacks and soft drinks, and keeps menus at the bar for adults to order food from local pizza places, Chinese restaurants and other eateries.
Photo credit: Michael Sarnelli
“We just opened in August,” said owner Michael Sarnelli. “It’s ’80s, ’90s retro-themed, with neon colors and all the walls are graffitied of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mortal Kombat and Rubik’s Cube.” He continued, “Since we opened, business has been going pretty well and people are liking it. We’re just trying to spread the word around, putting flyers everywhere and posting it on social media on Facebook and Instagram.”
Sarnelli grew up wanting to be a barber, but always loved going to arcades, and his three children always have fun in them.
“I’ve always thought of opening an arcade,” he said. “Owning an arcade is a very fun place to work and meet a lot of people. I’m a people person.”
He got the idea while on vacation with his family in Salem. They were walking around and found a place called the Bit Bar, which had a full bar with all the old-school arcade games. Sarnelli and his wife Ashlea went to the bar while the children were playing. Eventually, Sarnelli and his wife were playing the games and had a lot of fun.
A couple of months later, they were traveling in Raleigh, North Carolina, and stumbled upon a similar place, called the Boxcar Bar + Arcade.
“I told my wife, there’s nothing like this around Agawam. We should probably try and see if we can find a spot, find something that has the games and go from there. We ended up finding a spot and my neighbor owns the building.”
Agawam resident Julie Racicot heard about Brewcade on Facebook and loves that there’s such a unique hangout right here in town.
“The staff was super-friendly and the vibe was very relaxed and inviting,” Racicot said. “It’s fun for all ages, which I thought was really cool. They have all types of arcade games, including my son’s favorite, pinball. They had snacks available and beer on tap, always a plus.” She continued, “Brewcade embraces families spending time together and it’s reminiscing of my childhood with the retro gaming options. Supporting local small businesses is important to me, and I think it’s such a creative and fun way to spend an afternoon or a night out, just down the road.”
Sarnelli’s goal for Brewcade is to have people come, have a lot of fun, enjoy it, and keep the business going.
“Right now, I’m trying to see if we can run a dart league out of the Brewcade or a pool league, and also do birthday parties,” said Sarnelli. “It’s nice to see the families come in and see the young kids play the games that I grew up on.”
Brewcade is open 3-9 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays, 1-7 p.m. Sundays, and 3-9 p.m. Mondays.
