Insert Coin to Continue at Victory Pointe

Howdy, I'm Joe and if you've been to Victory Pointe you've probably met me. I'm the proprietor of Victory Pointe and this arcade has been my dream, my second home, and a place where I've made so many friends and found a ton of community. Unfortunately the past year has hit us pretty hard and a few recent surprises have piled onto that. We were closed for 16 months due to the pandemic during which time I auctioned off my lifelong collection of console games and rented out our second floor space to help keep afloat. Now however with the Delta surge pretty extreme in Pittsburgh and my wife currently sick with COVID we are closing for almost a full month again and we could use some help to cover expenses and reopening.  There aren't many independent arcades left, so help keep this one going!

 

 

 

Recently my wife came home from a trip administering state testing as an English teacher and was ill so I closed the arcade out of caution as I'd been in close contact with her. Then this week she tested positive for COVID-19 and I was exposed. Although we are both vaccinated I don't feel safe going back to work when there's still a chance I could develop the illness or be an asymptomatic carrier, especially when much of our audience are children who are currently ineligible for the vaccines.

 

So after some suggestions on Facebook I'd like to reach out and ask the community for a bit of help. While we are closed we have almost no income coming in, and we still have utilities and maintenance of several hundred dollars per week. Additionally I'd like to be able to offer some support to my friend and coworker Ailish Brundage who has been with me from the beginning of this business and who I had to lay off for the duration of this closure.

 

 

 

So I'm asking for funds to cover the closure of several weeks and to assist with reopening. I want everyone who's come in to know that I appreciate you so much for sharing in my passion for arcades especially our regulars from the Smash, Dance/Rhythm community and my friends and rivals in the FGC. I know it's been a brutal year and so I ask that you only consider donating if you have money to spare. Anything we get above and beyond the funds for operating costs will go first to helping current/former employees and then repair/acquisition of new games for everyone to enjoy. Thanks so much for reading this and keeping arcades alive.

 

Joe Dukovich