My old arcade hang out is nothing but a memory now...
My wife and I visited my hometown of Moraga this past weekend and it finally happened. My old arcade hang out was officially cleaned out to make room for a new business. The place was called Fudge Alley and it had been in business for decades. It was pretty much the last place in town where kids could go to hang out after the historic bowling alley was demolished in the mid-90s. It offered candy, food, ice cream, shakes, etc and had a decent sized arcade in the back (3-4 games and 1 pin/driver at a time). The arcade doesn't seem like much, but in a small town that also had a big arcade at the bowling alley, it was enough. The owner and operator was a man by the name of Frank Chow. He pretty much knew everyone in town (he'd say, "Have a good one, ah!" every time you'd walk out the door).
I had a "usual" order of a bag of watermelon sours and a dreyer's cookies n' cream milk shake (he even gave you the leftovers in the mixing cup in addition to your glass). It was the place I played many arcade games and pins for the first time as he switched them out periodically. The walls were literally covered in graffiti/writing from all of the people over the years who wrote "...was here," hearts with initials, and other things you can imagine. He even sold these fake birth stone rings for girls (bottom left of 2nd photo) and I remember buying one in 3rd grade and giving it to the girl I liked at the time. I remember buying huge baseball-sized jaw breakers and taking 1-2 weeks to finish them. I remember he would often read his newspaper while sitting in a back booth where customers never sat and we'd small talk. I'd visit every couple of years and he'd always ask how my older brothers were doing and such. I could go on and on. I have so many fond memories of going there with my brothers and my friends.
It had been sitting dormant for over two years since Frank decided to retire at the age of 80 and move back home to Taiwan back in 2008. He had hoped that someone could take over and continue what he had done for so many years, but in this economy, it would have been a poor decision for any prospective businessman. Instead, a new party recently decided to take over the space. They will be opening a Mediterranean restaurant and bar called Shish Kabob Show. I'll refrain from posting pictures of their renovation progress as it's too depressing.
I was hoping that I could contact the owners in time to salvage whatever keepsakes I could possibly acquire, but by the time I contacted them, they had already gutted the place and "donated and thrown everything out" including the booth seats, lamps and any decor that was left on the walls. If only I had contacted them sooner, they would have easily and willingly given me one of the booths, a chandelier, frames, art, etc. I just thought about how awesome it would have been to use all those things for my future game room decor. The owners were very nice in communicating with me, but I was devastated to know that the place had been erased and is now nothing but a memory.
Sorry if this post is a downer, but I just thought I'd take the time to share and that it would be a reminder for those of you who know that your old hang out still exists. If it does, take the time to go there, take pictures, order your last meal, play a few games, do what you can to preserve those memories. Make it a family trip. I missed that chance and didn't even get to say thanks and goodbye to Frank. I definitely feel a deep sense of regret and sadness, but I'm glad I found a few pictures that I can maybe frame and hang up in the game room. I know some of the games in my collection don't mean much to many of you, but they are the games I remember playing and it's almost a way for me to physically hold onto that part of my past. Now it's all I have left of Fudge Alley in some sense.
Thanks for all of the good times Frank. I hope you're enjoying retirement. You deserve it.
My wife and I visited my hometown of Moraga this past weekend and it finally happened. My old arcade hang out was officially cleaned out to make room for a new business. The place was called Fudge Alley and it had been in business for decades. It was pretty much the last place in town where kids could go to hang out after the historic bowling alley was demolished in the mid-90s. It offered candy, food, ice cream, shakes, etc and had a decent sized arcade in the back (3-4 games and 1 pin/driver at a time). The arcade doesn't seem like much, but in a small town that also had a big arcade at the bowling alley, it was enough. The owner and operator was a man by the name of Frank Chow. He pretty much knew everyone in town (he'd say, "Have a good one, ah!" every time you'd walk out the door).
I had a "usual" order of a bag of watermelon sours and a dreyer's cookies n' cream milk shake (he even gave you the leftovers in the mixing cup in addition to your glass). It was the place I played many arcade games and pins for the first time as he switched them out periodically. The walls were literally covered in graffiti/writing from all of the people over the years who wrote "...was here," hearts with initials, and other things you can imagine. He even sold these fake birth stone rings for girls (bottom left of 2nd photo) and I remember buying one in 3rd grade and giving it to the girl I liked at the time. I remember buying huge baseball-sized jaw breakers and taking 1-2 weeks to finish them. I remember he would often read his newspaper while sitting in a back booth where customers never sat and we'd small talk. I'd visit every couple of years and he'd always ask how my older brothers were doing and such. I could go on and on. I have so many fond memories of going there with my brothers and my friends.
It had been sitting dormant for over two years since Frank decided to retire at the age of 80 and move back home to Taiwan back in 2008. He had hoped that someone could take over and continue what he had done for so many years, but in this economy, it would have been a poor decision for any prospective businessman. Instead, a new party recently decided to take over the space. They will be opening a Mediterranean restaurant and bar called Shish Kabob Show. I'll refrain from posting pictures of their renovation progress as it's too depressing.
I was hoping that I could contact the owners in time to salvage whatever keepsakes I could possibly acquire, but by the time I contacted them, they had already gutted the place and "donated and thrown everything out" including the booth seats, lamps and any decor that was left on the walls. If only I had contacted them sooner, they would have easily and willingly given me one of the booths, a chandelier, frames, art, etc. I just thought about how awesome it would have been to use all those things for my future game room decor. The owners were very nice in communicating with me, but I was devastated to know that the place had been erased and is now nothing but a memory.
Sorry if this post is a downer, but I just thought I'd take the time to share and that it would be a reminder for those of you who know that your old hang out still exists. If it does, take the time to go there, take pictures, order your last meal, play a few games, do what you can to preserve those memories. Make it a family trip. I missed that chance and didn't even get to say thanks and goodbye to Frank. I definitely feel a deep sense of regret and sadness, but I'm glad I found a few pictures that I can maybe frame and hang up in the game room. I know some of the games in my collection don't mean much to many of you, but they are the games I remember playing and it's almost a way for me to physically hold onto that part of my past. Now it's all I have left of Fudge Alley in some sense.
Thanks for all of the good times Frank. I hope you're enjoying retirement. You deserve it.
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