Mayor Soglin weighs in on proposal to bring arcade bar to Madison

Common council to hold public hearing on plan

Rose Schmidt by Rose Schmidt

ilovemypit (Flickr) via Wikimedia Commons

Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said he would “not be disappointed” if Common Council decided not to grant a liquor license to the arcade bar proposed for Williamson Street.

Soglin has expressed concern in the past over more bars coming to the downtown area, even trying to ban 40 blocks of downtown space from getting new liquor licenses.

Common Council is set to hear from the public Tuesday night about a plan to bring I/O Arcade Bar to the Olds Building on Williamson Street.

“Our concept is pretty unique to Madison,” said Mitchell Turino, who hopes to open the arcade bar by the end of the summer. It’s a place “for drinkers with a gaming problem,” according to the website.

Soglin said I/O would be outside the specific area he has been concerned about in the past, but he would not be disappointed if the bar didn’t get a liquor license.

The bar, named for the computer programming language meaning input/output, would be a new kind of experience for “nerds of all kinds,” meaning college students, young professionals and competitive gamers, according to I/O’s website.

Turino said he got the idea for the space, which would have a full bar and more than 25 arcade games, after visiting bars with a similar concept in Chicago and Minneapolis. The games would include the classics like Pac-Man, Galaga and Donkey Kong, as well as some new-age games.

There would also be 11 pinball machines, which Turino said he’s getting from Madison Pinball, a group of local pinball enthusiasts who buy, sell, collect and fix pinball machines.

At the full capacity, the arcade bar would be able to hold 155 people, which is larger than many of the bars nearby. There are at least five other bars within two blocks in either direction.

For people who aren’t into video games, I/O would also have a large library filled with board games. Pizza is on the menu, along with snack foods, like chips and popcorn.

The arcade bar would be on the first floor of 720 Williamson Street, which used to be a warehouse. Turino said the industrial feel of the space was really what he was looking for.

“I think it fits the aesthetic really well,” he said.

Turino is hoping to open the arcade bar by the end of summer 2018.

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