New West arcade shares its secrets for success

There’s just something so magical about walking into an arcade as it’s opening for the day. Everything is quiet, still – perhaps even a little bit cold.

As Kyle Seller snaps the switches up, machines buzz to life. Lights are flashing, one of the games is yelling something in excitement, a Pac-Man game goes “waka waka waka,” and you can see the small grin on his face.

“I’ve been collecting for years. Since I was sixteen,” the 47-year-old explains, as he looks proudly around the shop. The collection is impressive, with 45 machines enticing you to get your game on: the sound effects, the cabinets, buttons and lights are nostalgic. “And these aren’t all of them.” 

The garage-like space that Industry Arcade is in holds significantly more machines; this section is just its storefront. This space is actually responsible, in a way, for the birth of Industry Arcade. “When COVID started, we lost 98% of our business," Seller says, "we had this shop filled with equipment that we use for bars, and pop up events. We thought, ‘let's just take a stab at it, and see if we can make it cool.’ "

Seller rents machines out to other businesses like Colony in Granville’s entertainment district, and Brewhall. Seller says it can be tough – he’s essentially on-call to fix those machines 24/7 – but games are his passion. 

“He’s so talented at repair, maintenance, and painting,” explains Amanda Seller, Kyle’s wife. “He’s so good at all of these things that go into them because they’re not brand new, and can’t work without constant maintenance.” Amanda says her husband’s talents have come from years of experience. “You can’t just take a program to learn these things. It’s life-long learning in all aspects.”

Arcade favourites:

• Kyle’s favourite game in the shop? “The Tron pinball machine. It definitely draws me in.”

• Amanda’s favourite? “I like the artwork of the pinball machines, but I’m probably more of a Pac-Man Battle Royale kind of fan.”

• Favourites spotted by Ria: Tapper, the Stranger Things pinball game, and – of course – the OG Mortal Kombat cabinet, where you can button mash to your heart’s content.  

Industry Arcade operates Thursday to Sunday – and it can be competitive to get a spot. Gamers can book the space for 60, 90 or 120 minutes, with the booking allowing for 10 guests at a time. The arcade has been the site of birthday parties and celebrations – and most recently, an engagement. 

“They asked if we could bring in a band, and I thought, this is pretty wonderful. The band didn’t end up coming – it was just the two of them. He popped the question, she said yes, and they ended up having a good time, and taking some wonderful pictures,” shares Kyle.

Amanda says it’s little moments like this that have made them feel like the shop is an integral part of New West. “I can’t see us going away from New Westminster. I grew up here, I went to school here. So it’s nice to have our business here.” 

Kyle says the complex at 30 Capilano Way is very creative. The area includes Another Beer Co. and Seen Signs. The tight-knit community is, according to Kyle, reflected in the way the city has helped them through the pandemic. 

“I’m grateful for the way the City of New Westminster honestly approached everything. They were super happy to help when the pandemic hit, and it’s just been a nice place to do business. They supported us through a difficult time,” says Kyle. 

While starting an arcade is quite the commitment, at the end of the day Amanda and Kyle agree any kind of business venture comes down to taking that leap of faith.

“Ultimately, don’t be scared to get your business licence,” says Kyle. “It’s not that bad to start something small. Just keep it local, and it’ll come. It’ll be able to sort itself out.”