‘Phantom of the Opera’-themed arcade and karaoke venue coming to SLO County
What do arcade games, karaoke and “The Phantom of the Opera” have in common?
That’s not setup to a joke — those are the three elements of a new business coming to an old office space in Grover Beach.
For business owner Skye Vaughn-Perling, arcades and karaoke go hand-in-hand — and he’s disappointed that they’re types of entertainment that have fallen by the wayside in the past two decades.
“Arcades are near and dear to me because they are an important part of American culture and culture around the world, and arcades are going away really, really quickly nowadays all over the place,” Vaughn-Perling said. “Even just up in the local area, there have actually been lots of arcades closing down.”
Vaughn-Perling said he was inspired to start up a new arcade and karaoke by the prevalence of similar spaces in Japan, another point of fascination for him.
As to the “Phantom of the Opera” allusion?
“I think that the musical is nice, but I also think that the name represents a revival movement that I’m trying to create with a dying part of the arcade culture,” Vaughn-Perling said.
How will ‘The Phantom of the Arcade’ work?
Vaughn-Perling said his appreciation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, “The Phantom of the Opera,” will extend from a “Phantom”-themed pinball machine that will be playable in the arcade to the building’s decor and the businesses’ name, which will likely be called either “Phantom of the Arcade” or “Phantom de l’Arcade.”
The building’s home at the intersection of Trouville Avenue and South 13th Street will require a makeover both inside and out to achieve that vision.
On Aug. 5, the Grover Beach Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the conversion of the small office building into an event space full of individual, rentable rooms for karaoke and arcade games.
Originally constructed as an office space in the 1940s, the 1,560-square-foot building has mostly stuck with office uses for most of its lifespan, according to the project’s staff report.
The new business will pack three karaoke lounges and six arcade rooms filled with quarter-operated pinball, racing, fighting, shooting and retro arcade games into the event space, Vaughn-Perling said.
The business will take reservations or walk-in appointments to rent out a room, which range between 84 square feet and 185 square feet depending on the use, from noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. One of the rooms near the front of the building will serve as the lobby and check-in area, Vaughn-Perling said.
As alcohol will not be served on the premises and snacks and beverages will be served from ending machines, there is no age restriction for the business, Vaughn-Perling said.
“Karaoke is kind of the side route of the business, because pretty much every arcade can’t just live off of quarters alone,” Vaughn-Perling said. “There always has to be like, either a bar or something else.”
Business staff will make sure arcade customers of 12 years of age or younger and karaoke lounge customers under the age of 18 are accompanied by an adult, according to the staff report.
Inside, the three karaoke rooms will be outfitted with acoustic panelling on the walls and ceilings to cut down the amount of noise coming from the business, according to the staff report.
Karaoke lounges will likely cost $10 for half an hour and $15 for a full hour, Vaughn-Perling said. The entire space will also be available to rent for a full day for $500, he said.
Outside, the parking lot will be re-striped to comply with city standards, while the existing signage will be replaced with a flag, Vaughn-Perling said.
Vaughn-Perling said he intends to implement neon signage in and outside the building, along with a fresh coat of paint to bring the space on-theme with the “Phantom” motif.
He said he also intends to commission a large, arcade-themed mural on one of the building’s outside walls.
When will arcade open?
Vaughn-Perling said while it will take some time to set the new space up with the new theme, he expects work on the building to wrap up sometime after October.
An opening day has not been set yet, though Vaughn-Perling said the goal has always been to open by the end of the year.
“It might not even be a good business venture, but I think it’s an important one,” Vaughn-Perling said. “I think that karaoke goes really well with arcades because not everyone is a gamer, but everyone can sing.”
Vaughn-Perling can be reached for additional information about the business’ opening at 323-394-3370 or at skyelovesjapan@gmail.com, and the business can be found online on X at @ArcadeGameSocal.
