FLINT, MI - The owners of a new arcade bar set to open in 2019 in downtown Flint hope to take you back to the days of your youth.

The 2,600-square-foot full bar called The Eberson will feature original vintage stand-up arcade games, pinball, darts, shuffleboard, as well as tabletop and card games in the space being leased from Uptown Reinvestment next to the Capitol Theatre.

"We hope people love to be there," said Spencer Ruegsegger, who with fiancee Kristy Bearse is set to open The Eberson by February 2019 at the corner of Second Street and Brush Alley.

"You know, like when you were young, having fun at a friend's house, and you didn't want to leave. Nostalgia plays a big role in this type of place," he said.

The couple enjoys seeking out "cool and unique places to hang out that were a bit different than the rest," said Ruegsegger, 31, with some favorites including the Punch Bowl Social in Detroit, Pin Ball Pete's in Ann Arbor, and Stella's Lounge in Grand Rapids that all offer games and entertainment.

Since the time he was 15 years old and worked as a busboy at Redwood Lodge in Mundy Township, Ruegsegger has known he wanted to open his own bar or restaurant someday.

He worked as a busser until he was 18 and able to legally wait tables and bartend and became a manager at 20 years old. Ruegsegger also served as general manager at Blackstone's Pub & Grill and general manager at the Market Tap at the Flint Farmers' Market.

It's that work experience, along with his education from the University of Michigan-Flint, business strategy gleaned from Dave Lurvey and Blackstone's staff, support from parents Calvin and Merrie, and investment from Phil Shaltz, president of Shaltz Automation and a co-founder of Uptown Developments, that has pushed Ruegsegger to go ahead with the plan.

"He has invested in our business and given us his time and knowledge, which you can't put a price on," said Ruegsegger of Shaltz. "He believes in people and is willing to take a risk to help them accomplish their dream the way they see it. There is a lot to be said about that."

A full bar with mixed drinks, craft cocktails, domestic beer, and craft beer some from local brewers will be available at The Eberson as well as a small menu of rotating snacks and finger foods.

The goal is to "create an environment where anyone can come in, be comfortable, have drinks, and enjoy themselves," said Ruegsegger, while playing games in the business named, with assistance from friend Fabian Silvas, in honor of John Eberson, the original architect of the Capitol Theatre.

While the establishments Ruegsegger and Bearse enjoy going to that served as inspiration for the venture have similarities, they are all located some distance from the Vehicle City.

"We have visualized this in Flint for a very long time," he said, with the location having grown out of Bearse's fondness for the downtown area and its resurgence in recent years. "She brought me downtown when we first started dating and at that time, there were only two or three places open past 5 p.m."

But Ruegsegger added it didn't take long for him to "catch the Flint passion that is in the air here," pointing toward other businesses starting, the Capitol Theatre renovation, and people investing in the area.

"It feels like recently the "buzz" of excitement for new places has grown so we feel that now is the perfect time," he said. "We have dreams of owning several businesses, eventually. We want to invest in this city first."