Court Street has a new attraction, and it’s more than just a bar. On 74 N Court Street, right below Hot Box Chicken Fingers & Tots, a new “barcade” has recently opened.
Star Chamber Arcade opened with a soft opening Oct. 2 and hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 16, according to a previous report by The Post. The idea of Star Chamber lived in the back of owner and Athens native Nick Muntean’s mind since 2019, when he sold his two healthcare businesses.
“I was suddenly at the bars on a Tuesday night,” he said. “And at the time, Rollerbowl was still open … the Athena Grand was still open, but already it was like, man, this is quite boring.”
In response to his boredom, Muntean began to think of ways to fill the void. Suddenly, a space opened up.
Follett's University Bookstore closed the same week he sold his businesses.
“I was like, ‘Man, it’d be fun to have games … I like arcade games, and I have nothing to do right now, and I have a bit of capital,'” he said. “I actually reached out to the owner; it was owned by the Freemasons at the time. They're like, ‘Look, Nick, we know you, we love you. But as Masons, we can't allow alcohol sales.’”
Muntean said he searche d for other options on Court Street after the opportunity fell through.
“If it was going to work, it was going to be on Court Street, and if alcohol wasn’t involved, it probably wasn’t going to work,” he said.
Muntean said he realized the setback was actually a blessing because the arcade would have opened right before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Muntean soon went into healthcare consulting and stuck with the career until this year. The Athena Grand on East State Street shut down in January, and Muntean saw another opportunity.
“I reached terms to buy the business but was not able to complete the lease with the building ownership,” he said.
After hitting another wall, Muntean once again searched for other options. Muntean had no luck, until he got a call from Bob Prebe, the principal broker and owner of Uptown Realty.
During the call, Muntean said he shared his desire to open a “barcade.” Prebe told Muntean about a spot that had already been outfitted for an arcade concept, under Hot Box.
“I was elated,” he said. “I put together a 20-page pitch deck, went out and solicited investment capital … There were enough people in town and a few out of town who saw the need and wanted to help make change happen, that they invested money.”
He hit the fundraising goal July 4, and his six-year dream was finally able to get going.
One day later, Muntean got a new truck and, by July 7, purchased the first pinball machine.
“Seven weeks later, (I) had driven 16,500 miles and bought 72 arcade and pinball machines,” he said, “It’s all a blur, honestly. It was fun, it was exciting and it was stressful.”
There were a few struggles with opening the arcade, Muntean said, especially with setting up the games.
“You can't just pull a game off the trailer and expect it to be arcade floor ready,” he said. “You've got to shop them out. You've got to make sure the power supply is properly outputting five volts, the monitor fly back is stable, all the joysticks are working properly, you know, all this stuff.”
Muntean said polishing the machines created some extra stress, and people were urging him to hurry up the process. However, Muntean said since opening, business has been going well.
“Everyone has been awesome,” he said. “The college students have been wonderful, the adult population has been wonderful and 99% of the kids have been great, too.”
A detail Muntean said he hasn’t hammered down yet, is the demographics of the arcade.
“(I’m) just trying to create a space everybody feels welcome in, an eight-year-old, a 48-year-old and an 18-year-old,” he said.
For Muntean, the goal moving forward is staying relevant.
“I would love to become a Court Street institution, and that’s my biggest concern,” he said. “What does year three look like, and are people still excited about it?”
People certainly are excited about Star Chamber, but maybe no one more than local, DJ Michael Bart, otherwise known as, DJ Barticus. The DJ created a short video on Instagram to promote the arcade.
He said the arcade feels nostalgic for him.
“(It) really reminds me of the places I grew up … It’s a time machine and a museum,” Bart said.
The arcade has also attracted students. This includes Kyle Phillips, a freshman studying chemical engineering.
“The thing that drew me was it was the newest thing I heard about going on in Athens,” Phillips said. “I'm a huge fan of arcades. I like to check them out, see what they're doing.”
Although the future of a new business can be uncertain, the Star Chamber Arcade continues to provide a new entertainment option for Athens' locals of all demographics.
