Reposted from:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/08/20/for_sale_one_cottagecountry_arcade_with_50_years_of_memories.html
For sale: one cottage-country arcade with 50 years of memories
Paul and Patricia Arney have decided to sell the Balacade, the arcade they have run in Bala, Ontario for more than 50 years.
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Paul and Patricia Arney take a break in The Balacade, the video and pinball arcade in downtown Bala that they've owned and operated for 56 years. The couple has decided that it's finally time to sell the arcade.
By: May Warren Staff Reporter, Published on Wed Aug 20 2014
After 56 years in the game, Paul and Patricia Arney are selling their arcade in Bala, Ontario.
Balacade is a hub for local kids and visiting cottagers, who arrive every summer with fistfuls of quarters to feed into classic machines such as Gilligan’s Island-themed pinball and Pac-Man.
With its recognizable red, white and green façade, it has become an institution for Muskoka families and a favourite for generations of kids.
“It was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do,” says Paul of the decision to put the arcade up for sale.
It’s something he has been quietly “toying with” for awhile. The couple says they found it hard to keep up with the pace of the past summer, particularly busy because of the cooler, rainy weather.
“I’m 78 and it’s just time to let somebody a little younger maybe take over and do a few different things with it,” says Paul.
“I think we’d like just a little bit of time to ourselves.”
The Arneys, who have been married for 50 years, run the arcade through the summer and are ski instructors in the winter.
They would like to see the Balacade, listed at $229K and complete with a dock overlooking Lake Muskoka and living quarters, kept intact. They’ll try to find a buyer who’ll run it as an arcade.
The couple is selling their machines — including originals Peppy the dancing clown and the fortune telling grandma, which were there when Paul bought the building — along with the property
“We just thought it was a good time because the arcade is in such good shape and maybe someone will take it over and continue,” says Patricia who calls the decision “emotional.”
“We’re going to be choosy about the buyer.”
“There are so many people that come and depend on it. That is the stipulation, to sell it as an arcade as it is,” says Paul.
“I’ll even throw my dog in,” he adds with a chuckle.
Koko, a black and white keeshond, has loyally watched over the arcade for a decade.
The Arneys have seen the clientele change from twenty-something partygoers to kids and families over the years.
When Paul bought the property in 1958, the Kee was still Dunn’s Pavilion, the host of big bands and popular dances.
The two met at a staff party there in 1960. Patricia used to work at the soda fountain. A fellow employee went on to become a Rockette and Patricia once met Louis Armstrong when he preformed at the concert venue.
Patricia says they plan to take advantage of their free summers to cross a few items off their “bucket list,” such as travelling to Newfoundland.
But it will be hard to leave behind the arcade, which has become a town landmark.
“We’ve watched families grow up. We’ve got second, I’m afraid to say third generations coming in and saying, ‘My grandpa brought me in here and now I’m bringing my grandson.’ It’s a lot of years,” Patricia says.
And what about the reaction from people in Bala and beyond?
“Nobody knows yet,” says Paul.
“I might have to leave town.”
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