Vintage video arcade on Montreal's West Island a throwback attraction
Vintage video arcade on Montreal's West Island a throwback attraction
Pacman may have come out two decades before Gursagar Singh was born, but the 20-year-old has a true appreciation of the past, which is the basics of his first business.
The McGill University engineering student has opened a vintage video arcade in the heart of Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue on Montreal's West Island.
"I notice a lot of people don't go on their phones when they're here," he said. "Nobody asks me for the WiFi password."
Singh wanted to fill a void in his hometown for students.
"Growing up, there were a lot of restaurants and bars in the area, but I felt like there wasn't much catered towards the students," he said. "When I found this place, I thought it could be something to do in this town."
He used his savings and help from his family to open the arcade that is already scoring points with people in the neighbourhood looking for a throwback.
"I remember growing up on the West Island, there were a couple of arcades, but now there aren't so much," said customer Michelle Coughlin.
The locale is also a venue for local talent. Every month, Singh lends part of the space to artists or startups like the mother-son duo "Cafe Elba."
"I grew up on a small coffee farm in El Salvador, and I have been picking coffee and also roasting coffee all my life," said Cafe Elba's Elba Vasquez.
Vasquez started the business in 2013 to help struggling farmers in Central America. Since then, she has become a staple at Ste-Anne's farmers' market.
Having the arcade available allowed the partners a step toward their dream of owning and operating their own cafe.
For Singh, he feels the arcade has a timeless appeal.
"The thing you always remember from an arcade is it centres you in the moment, you don't really think about what's going on outside," he said.
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