WAUKESHA — The sounds of retro video games and clinking pinball machines might soon be coming to Waukesha. Vintage Vault Arcade, a Mukwonago business, known for its massive collection of classic and modern games, is exploring expansion options in the city, owner James Srnec confirmed this week.
“We’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Srnec said. “We had a space in East Troy, but it’s just a little too close to our current location. Waukesha makes more sense — it’s bigger, closer to Milwaukee, and there’s a lot more foot traffic.”
The arcade, which currently boasts around 125 to 130 games on the floor and roughly 75 more in storage, could see its collection grow to nearly 200 if a larger space becomes available. Srnec said they are looking for a building between 5,000 and 7,000 square feet, ideally with room to grow and a manageable lease.
“We’d love to find a spot where we can either go solo or partner with someone for a bigger arcade-bar concept,” he said.
Vintage Vault’s dedication to game quality and customer experience is part of what has set it apart from other arcades, Srnec said. “We don’t hide in the back. If a game breaks, we fix it immediately. We focus on the gameplay, not just machines. That kind of passion resonates with people.” The arcade has also seen impressive growth on social media, with a Facebook following that reaches fans from across the globe.
The goal right now is to find a bigger home to keep up with the arcade’s growing popularity and ambitious plans.
“We’re in it for the love of the games, not the money,” he said. “If we find the right space, it’s going to be an incredible next chapter for us.”
The Waukesha Ordinance and License Committee moved forward on Monday night with amendments to the city’s amusement arcade ordinance, aiming to modernize rules that were originally written in the 1980s and no longer align with today’s arcade business models.
City Attorney Brian Running said many of these provisions are “obsolete,” “overreaching,” or “tailored to one specific situation decades ago,” and no longer make sense.
“I think you’ll see that amusement arcades were viewed with a lot of suspicion, that they were seen as places that would corrupt the morals of young people in the city, and I really don’t believe that that is really a concern of the city any longer,” Running said.
Srnec took the public perception of arcades a step further.
“Arcades today are about community, accessibility and fun for everyone — from kids to grandparents,” he said to The Freeman. “We host special rates for disability groups, and we’ve found it’s a great way for people to meet, socialize and just get out of the house.”
Alderman Mike Chrisien made a referral to evaluate and propose revisions to Municipal Code §8.04, the Amusement Arcade ordinance, after meeting Srnec. Under the current ordinance the annual fee would be $6,000, making the proposal impossible for similar businesses like Vintage Vault.
The amendments aim to simplify and modernize language, removes outdated moral character provisions, removes irrelevant restrictions, brings definitions in line with Wisconsin statues, removes outdated rules about building specifications, and clarifies supervision and safety. The amendments call for someone over 18 years old to be on site with authority at all time, establish closing hours, although they can be modified, and reinforce the right of city inspectors. The amendments ban illegal gambling machines and allow revocation or suspension if violations occur. The changes would revamp the licensing fee, with the amount to be determined.
The clerk’s office estimates current revenues from amusement licensing are $10,000-$12,000 annually, across roughly 40 businesses. The new fee will likely fall somewhere between $250 and $350 per year, according to Running.
Chrisien joked he was the “corruptible youth” the ordinance was written for decades ago.
“I spent a lot of my paperboy money in the local arcade, which was also a bowling alley and people drinking and smoking. They would yell ‘Shut up over there!’ because we’d get high scores and be all happy. So maybe it was for that,” Chrisien said.
He said he visited Srnec and heard about his business model, which has a set fee for people to play his arcade games. Vintage Vault is a free play retro arcade in Mukwonago at 715 Main St., Ste. 200.
“What that means is you pay an admission cost fee to get in, but everything is free,” Srnec said.
Chrisien said it was similar to a place in Illinois that he visited.
“It’s almost like a museum,” Chrisien said.
Alderman Steve Van Trieste asked Srnec if he has Space Invaders as he was hooked on that when he was in the Navy.
“I put a lot of quarters in that machine,” he said.
Van Trieste said he appreciated the goodwill aspect of Srnec’s arcade, which gives back to the community.
Alderwoman Alicia Halvensleben said she really likes the idea of allowing kids to play.
“It seems like we are pricing them out of the market here in Waukesha. It seems like a really good use of time,” she said.
Alderman Daniel Manion also said as a “child of the ‘80s” he has fond memories of clinking quarters in the machines.
Running reminded the committee the proposal wasn’t specifically about Vintage Vault but arcade businesses in general.
The Common Council will take up the proposal on Tuesday, Dec. 16.