FOLEY — Captain Crazy’s Paradise officially opened Sept. 9 featuring vintage arcade games and golf simulators. Positioned on South McKenzie Street, opposite the Walmart Supercenter, the …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
Please log in to continue |
FOLEY — Captain Crazy’s Paradise officially opened Sept. 9 featuring vintage arcade games and golf simulators. Positioned on South McKenzie Street, opposite the Walmart Supercenter, the owners say this establishment is not just an arcade; it's a living museum.
Housing a collection of over 80 arcade games, some dating back to the 1960s, Captain Crazy’s Paradise is the brainchild of the Harney family — Dan, Shiva, Ace and Imoto. Identifying themselves as lifelong gamers, this family lives by the mantra “once a gamer, always a gamer.”
“We’ve been enjoying arcades our entire lives, and it’s always been a dream of my brother and I’s to run our own arcade when we got older,” Imoto Harney said.
Upon entering Captain Crazy’s Paradise, visitors are transported into what resembles a Japanese dojo. Wooden planks frame a scene from the movie "The Matrix" on Japanese shoji.
The owner said this setting is designed to evoke anticipation, emphasizing, “At Captain Crazy’s Paradise, we love mystery, excitement and allure.”
“We keep the door closed and have this big sliding, wooden door, and after you pay your admission and we explain what is going on, we let the customer open the door and have that grand reveal, welcoming them into paradise,” she said.
The Harneys envision their arcade as more than a tourist attraction, striving to create a community "hangout" space for locals.
“We strongly believe that every community should have an arcade space,” Harney said. “This is what we would call your third space. Your first being your home, second being your work and your third most comfortable space would be here in paradise.”
The name Captain Crazy’s Paradise is a name the Harneys believe describes not only their family, but can describe others around.
“The idea behind it is we are all Captain Crazy,” she said. “We are all captains of our own life and if you can embrace the crazy, then everything is smooth sailing after that.”
Through Stern Pinball, a gaming company, Captain Crazy’s offers monthly prizes for high scores. Gamers can scan a QR code on the machines for free to track scores, records and game progress throughout their games.
“Every month, you can come in and try to get the high score and if you get on the leaderboard by the end of the month, then you get a prize,” Harney said.
In addition to gaming, Captain Crazy’s Paradise hosts monthly pinball tournaments for all ages and skill levels, along with the introduction of pinball leagues. The venue also holds four golf simulators, inviting enthusiasts to swing clubs and a bar serving beer and wine.
“We would like to also do golf leagues and connect with local schools and their golf teams and invite them to do practice sessions,” Harney said.
Only having been open for a little over a month, Captain Crazy’s Paradise has plans to not only grow their business but grow in the community by sharing their love for gaming with others.
The grand opening will be Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.