Right, what's all this then?
We ran a Kickstarter campaign over the Summer of 2014. It was successful, with 224 people pledging $28,493. The project has been ongoing since then, with architectural plans completed in 2014 and permits approved and ready to go. This has been a "shovel ready" project for a while now.
How long will construction take?
It's scheduled to take 6 weeks. It should be completed at the end of May. There are penalties for the project running late, so I don't expect much slippage.
What are the advantages to me?
We will be able to seat 121 people on two levels. We will be able to have larger events, and multiple events each night. For the most part, our existing events will have room to spread out and grow, but we're also interested in hosting new events.
Bathrooms, air conditioning and heating, and even a drinking fountain will bring our space up to the building codes and should provide a more pleasant experience.
Any Game Center policy changes?
No. We've got scheduled events that use this space and open play when nothing is scheduled. That policy won't change. One advantage is Paladin Club members (from our Kickstarter) will get special access during most periods for their personal games.
Can you tell me more about the financing?
Nobody actually asks that question, but, I'll answer it anyway. The total project cost, at this point, looks to be around $120,000. The Kickstarter covered a very small amount of this. We received a loan from Opportunity Fund to cover additional costs, which we've since paid off. Our new lease covers about $20K or so of expansion costs. We're soliciting loans from the world at large for the rest, and we've secured about half the money we need, despite the project starting now.
Will you be open during this time?
Absolutely! The retail space will be open continuously during construction. The Game Center is closed, but we will have room to play in the retail space during the construction period. Our goal is to maintain continuity with existing events, even if we're a bit tight on space. Some regular events may not fire, however, due to their space constraints.
What can I do to help?
Keep coming for one. Please keep shopping with us. The tendency is to wait out the mess and come back after. That could very well kill us. We ask you continue to shop with us as you have before, and, if possible, consider buying a little more than usual to help us through these difficult times. The biggest threat to this project is people avoid us during construction.
If you have any questions please ask them in the comments.
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