Replays Arcade open for business in downtown Dixon

DIXON — An arcade is open for business in downtown Dixon.

Replays Arcade has more than 20 classic arcade game machines – one of which has 60 games loaded onto it – and an air hockey table. Located at 94 S. Peoria Ave., the business opened Sept. 5.

“Everybody’s got their own definition of what an arcade is, I guess,” owner Robert Lewis said, but noted that Replays Arcade is “about the farthest thing you could get from” gambling.

The games are for people of all ages, he said.

“We have a couple of machines that run multiple games as far as PAC-MAN, Frogger or a bunch of other stuff that adults are into,” Lewis said. “As much as I would like to have the dedicated cabinets for all of those older games, space-wise, that’s not even feasible.”

Replays Arcade doesn’t charge per game, but rather per time spent playing.

For 30 minutes of play, the cost is $5 per person, plus tax; for one hour, $8 per person, plus tax; and for two hours, $12 per person, plus tax. Groups of three or more get a 10% discount.

“There’s no quarters, no tokens, no cards to swipe. You don’t have to worry about how many credits a specific game takes,” Lewis said. “If you see a game you particularly like, you can play it all you like the whole time you’re here. Of course, I would recommend, since you’re paying for time, try everything while you’re here.”

The only game not included in the purchase of gaming time is the claw machine with stuffed animal prizes. If it was included, the cost of keeping it stocked wouldn’t be a feasible business model, Lewis said.

“Unfortunately, we’d either have to charge $20 per person, or we’d be out of business,” he said.

A few of the games spit out physical tickets, while others allow for prize redemption at the game console itself, Lewis said. “I did put vouchers for ticket amounts in the prize redemption games as well,” he noted.

When asked what made him want to open an arcade, Lewis said, “It’s kind of funny. It was as simple as, we were literally walking out of an arcade one day and my 6-year-old boy said something along the lines of, ‘Dad, you should open your own arcade.’ Not gonna lie, I think that was literally the first time I would have ever even had the thought.”

The goal initially was to have Replays Arcade open next spring, but when the South Peoria Avenue building became available for rent, it was too perfect of a location to pass up, he said. They took over the building on April 1, Lewis said.

Lewis said that there were a few roadblocks to getting Replays Arcade open – like a decades-old law that said all his gaming machines had to come from a large distributor – but overall, Dixon city officials were great to work with.

A few hundred people have made their way inside Replays Arcade since it opened, although not all of them have played games, Lewis said. Many have come to see what’s offered, having not realized the arcade existed, he said.

“Being open almost two months, we’re still kind of a work in progress,” Lewis said.

Replays Arcade does have a security system, with video cameras observing the door, stairs and the upstairs and downstairs areas, Lewis said. Kids 12 and under are recommended to have adult supervision at all times, he said.

Replays Arcade is open Tuesday through Thursday from 2-8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 2-10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

For more information, check out Replays Arcade Facebook page or call 815-631-1117.