May 8, 2020

The downtown arcade bar EightyOne is starting to come together and could be open before the end of the month.

Owner Errol Stewart moved the business from Harrisburg to the historic ballroom inside The Carpenter Building at 221 S. Phillips Ave. It most recently was a location for Myers’ Deli & More.

“I love the old architecture. I think that’s really cool, and obviously, there’s a lot more traffic downtown,” Stewart said. “We’re excited about having it here.”

The space is filled with 50 games from the late 1970s through the present.

Stewart is a video game collector who decided to turn his hobby into a small business.

He’s working with chef Dan Myers to put together a menu of food and beverages. Myers will continue to use the kitchen for catering while he operates one restaurant out of the CNA Building on the East Bank in downtown.

“It’s a very small menu but very good,” Stewart said.

He’s planning to make accommodations for COVID-19, with hand sanitizer available and distancing guidelines enforced.

While no opening date has been set, “we really plan to be open within a couple weeks,” he said.