June 6, 2022

You’ll play with tokens and earn physical tickets for prizes at the new arcade coming to The Empire Mall.

Owner Brian Gibbs has spent a career in this style of arcade, first as a longtime manager of Aladdin’s Castle and now as the owner of Gibby’s.

He’s moving the business from Southern Hills Mall in Sioux City, where a larger entertainment center is coming.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and know what people like to play,” he said. “I have almost all new stuff too. I’ve been building it up.”

Gibby’s will be in the former Westmoor Music space not far from Applebee’s. There will be both video games and redemption-style games, including Skeeball, plus giant versions of PacMan and Space Invaders, crane-style games  and pinball machines.

“It’s all token-based with real tickets just like the old school,” Gibbs said. “I’ve found people like that. And I have nothing over a dollar, so I try to make it affordable.”

He grew up in Sioux Falls until he was 12 and has owned the business in Sioux City the past seven years.

“I have people come from 60 to 80 miles,” he said, adding that in Sioux Falls he plans to double the size of his prize redemption center.

Gibbs also will be taking over operations of the small arcade in the mall’s food court, calling it Gibby’s Junior, with a small selection of games.

“I’ll put in ticket redemption with a ticket eater, so to redeem tickets you have to go to my other store,” he said.

The hope is to be open at the mall by mid- to late August.