Set your phasers to fun.
Charlotte’s first vintage arcade, Super Abari Game Bar, had a rough 2021. The bar’s fate was still up in the air after a tumultuous year dealing with the pandemic, and the owner, Zach Pulliam, wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to reopen again. On a viral Reddit post, he wrote,
“First of all, I want to clear up the current position of Abari. As most of you know, Abari was originally forced to shut down due to the pandemic. After a few months of not being open, I was told the land Abari is on was being sold to developers. This prompted me to really lose faith in ever opening again, but peoples’ encouragement led me to search for a new location.”
The post garnered massive support from arcade fans and friends alike, with fans asking how to sign a petition to get everything up and running, and offering support.
This was back in January, and it appears on Abari’s Instagram account, that “Super Abari” has had its first set of plans approved by the city. “While the process is taking longer than we hoped, September should bring a lot of progress and we are still hoping to open by the end of the year.”
The new “Super Abari” is only a mile away from the old location in 1015 Seigle Ave. and is double the size so there’ll be a designated lounge and gaming area, as well as an outdoor patio.
They’re also hoping to input larger games like skee-ball alongside all the vintage arcade games you know and love. While Super Abari Game Bar was hoping to open at the end of 2021, that wasn’t possible, and now today, May 16th, they’ll be having their grand opening in its new Charlotte location with a new re-modeled space!
Enjoy 55 arcade games, 35 pinball machines, and 12 beer taps, plus much more.
Where: 1015 Seigle Ave.