Support Neon Retro Arcade
Hello Neon Retro Fam,
We’ve been working hard the past couple of weeks getting the arcade ready for what we anticipated would be an early July reopening. We wish we were writing to you today with a date when the energy in our arcades would be buzzing again. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Our arcades have been shut down for nearly 3.5 months, and with COVID-19 rates going up, LA County has announced that our mandatory closure will be extended indefinitely.
The financial strain caused by 3.5 months of lost sales compounded with high fixed expenses is not unique to us by any means, but that doesn’t make it any less painful. In the past few months we have taken the following steps to keep our business alive:
-Applied for government relief loans (thanks so much for all the debt, Uncle Sam)
-Sold many of the games in our vault
-Sold discounted passes & other arcade merchandise in our online shop
-Negotiated partial rent deferral for one property we occupy (we’re still on the hook to pay the full amount owed, we just get to kick the problem down the road a bit)
-Used up a significant portion of our business reserves and personal savings
All of this is to say that we tried so, so hard to do this on our own, but with the news of an extended mandated closure, we *really* need your help. We fully understand that there are many worthier fundraisers that you can donate to, but we hope that there are some out there who see the value in preserving weird little niche businesses like ours.
If our fundraising goal of $10K is achieved, it would allow us to cover 1 month of commercial rent at the reduced rate we negotiated. Please note, no portion of the GoFundMe donations we receive will be used to purchase new machines.
We are beyond thankful to the communities that have embraced us and who have supported our dream for the past 5.5 years. If you can find it in your ability to make a small contribution to help our dream survive this pandemic, we would be forever grateful.
Many thanks,
👾❤️ Mark, Mia & Team Neon
Online Store
Looking to buy admission passes for gifts or later use? Maybe some fun Neon swag? Thanks for shopping small.
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Temporary Closure
So many emotions tonight, friends. As of midnight on March 16, many LA businesses have been ordered to close due to the ongoing public health situation. For the safety of all our guests and staff we will be temporarily closing both locations effective immediately. 💔 We anticipate reopening circa as soon as we are allowed to, but this situation is fluid and we’ll provide updates.
Closing is absolutely the right thing to do, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be painful for many of your favorite local spots. If you can find a way to safely show your support during this time, please do so. We’ve set up an online shop (link below) so if you’d like to pick up some arcade merch or *discounted* arcade passes, doing so in the next couple of weeks would mean so, so much. 🤗
We love you, L.A. We’ll see you soon. Please stay safe.
👾❤️ Mark, Mia & Team Neon
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