Photo by Walker Evans.

Many fans of Cafe Bella were saddened by the loss of the restaurant back in February, but the prominent High Street address isn’t going to be sitting empty for much longer. The Old North Arcade, located next door at 2591 North High, is expanding their business concept into 2593 North High, with plans to have the expansion up and running relatively quickly.

“Business has been tremendous,” said Old North Arcade Owner Benjamin Morgan. “We can’t give too many specifics on the expansion, but it’s safe to say there are lots of video games involved. We’re still figuring out the layout and all of the details with the property.”

The 3,000 square feet previously inhabited by Cafe Bella was originally a bank building constructed in the 1920s. Morgan has already been working on restoring the look of the interior of the space, exposing tin ceilings, brick walls and hardwood floors. He said that the bank’s original vault is still intact as well, which will be featured in the new layout.

With almost 6,000 square feet of space at their disposal, Morgan said that Old North Arcade will be able to feature some larger entertainment options that previously didn’t fit in their original spot.

“We’ll be able to place a lot bigger games like skee-ball, air hockey, Dance Dance Revolution and some sit-down racers,” he stated. “We always wanted to have those, but they’re too big for a smaller space.”

Morgan said that they’ve already taken over the old Cafe Bella patio space, which will serve as a courtyard between the two buildings. Customers can expect to find some new entertainment options out there this summer, including cornhole, life-size Jenga, life-size Connect Four, and a projector showing retro movies and 1980s-era Wrestlemania videos.

“Were also adding 14 parking spaces, which is huge for our neighborhood,” said Morgan. “We also want to start some serious food cart rotations this year, and we’re already in talks with a few possible carts and trucks.”

Morgan said that since construction has already begun, and there’s no plumbing work, mechanical work, or changes to the use of the building, they expect to be able to have the expansion open very quickly. His plan is to host a grand opening that will coincide with the first-year anniversary of their original space coming up in the first week of June.

To read more about the business behind Old North Arcade, CLICK HERE for more at TheMetropreneur.com.

For more information, visit www.oldnortharcade.com.

Photos by Walker Evans.