Gorge Local - In Business: New Buddy’s Arcade features fun, art and beer

“This kind of stuff, fun and art, has always been close to me as a human,” Nance said.

He lived in Portland and worked in advertising prior to moving to Cascade Locks with his wife Jessie and their 5-year-old. Buddy’s is a departure from his advertising background, but still a niche that Nance felt was missing in the Gorge. He began talking with folks around the community and realized they didn’t have anything like Buddy’s to entertain kids, teens and adults in one place.

“I always wanted to marry fun, games and art together,” Nance said.

He has more than 10 video game cabinets and much more than 60 games to offer, from Mortal Kombat to Street Fighter II, Buckhunter, Ms. Pacman, Super Mario Kart and other Super Nintendo classics, Star Wars, Paw Patrol Jr., The Simpsons, Tecmo Bowl — and more.

The variety of games offers a little bit of nostalgia and entertainment for everyone, just as Nance envisioned. He happily calls his spot a sports bar, keeping his three televisions on no matter the sport — NBA, MLB, NFL and even professional pillow fighting. Nance purchased NFL Sunday Ticket and opens at 10 a.m. on Sundays to play the football games for locals.

With sports on the TVs and retro games for entertainment, the focus of the other half of Buddy’s Arcade is art and community. His aim was to create a fun, inclusive atmosphere that includes kids in the community.

One area of the arcade is dubbed the “Kid Corner,” which features smaller video game cabinets accessible to little ones and artwork from kids at the Cascade Locks Elementary School. Nance is part of the school’s PTO and presented his fundraising idea to the group before asking the principal for students’ art, he said.

The kid art is available for purchase — a donation of $5 or more — that goes back to the school through the PTO. Kid art has helped Nance raise about $200 so far, and he plans to purchase art supplies for the school once they have raised enough money.

“Right now the art is mostly from second graders. Mushrooms, Frida Kahlo, leaves,” Nance said as he flipped through some of their work.

Other artists and local businesses are featured in Buddy’s, one being artist Ace Troy of Portland, who works primarily with wood and spray paint. Many of his pieces fit the nostalgic-gamer niche, showcasing epoxied characters from recognizable franchises like Super Mario, Star Wars, Garfield and The Simpsons.

Ace Troy’s pieces are hung around Buddy’s and are available for purchase; Nance hopes to bring other local artists to the space, too, and maybe some local vendors. Right now, Buddy’s features products from Green Heart Herbal Co., a local company that uses wildcrafting and foraging from the natural environment to create oils, balms and salves. Items like rose hip oil and arnica muscle rub are for sale at the arcade.

Though Nance is lacking a kitchen, he offers a concise menu of snacks and what he calls “latchkey kid eats,” with options like hot pockets, chips, bagel bites and Lunchables. He offers a variety of his favorite local beverages on tap, including beer from pFriem, Thunder Island, Everybody’s and Gorges Beer.

Nance said he is working to develop a larger snack menu and may consider a kitchen one day, but for now he is happy with the options Buddy’s has. They also host birthday parties and plan to get involved with more fundraising events, such as their recent “Fight the Mayor” event.

Buddy’s raised money during “Fight the Mayor” by inviting community members to challenge the Mayor of Cascade Locks Cathy Fallon to a game of Street Fighter II. All participants made a $5 donation and losers had to donate an additional $1. All proceeds went to help the elementary school, and Nance reported raising $300 from the event.

This month they will host a fundraiser for PNW Search and Rescue (PNWSAR) on Oct. 30. The community is invited to challenge the PNWSAR volunteers to video game matches for a $5 donation. Nance will also be at Working Hands Fermentation with a video game cabinet on Oct. 28 for their annual block party on the Heights of Hood River.

“I want Buddy’s to be a friendly, welcoming space. People just need to come in and experience it once to know what I’m all about,” said Nance. “We need a spot for community-oriented fun in the Gorge and Portland area. A place to be comfy, bring your kids, have a beer, and let them play.”

Nance shared details of his vision-come-to-life at Buddy’s with excitement. The kids have fun playing video games while their parents relax with a beer, but slowly the vintage games peak the parents’ interests and before you know it, parents are showing their kids how to play games they grew up with.

“Inevitably the parents wander over to the games to join in the fun, which is the beautiful side of the nostalgic, vintage games that create moments of bonding for kids and their parents,” Nance said. With the help of his wife and a few friends, Nance mostly runs the arcade himself. Guests get 30 minutes of game time for $5, and the only place minors are not allowed is at the bar.

Buddy’s Beer Arcade is on social media @buddysbeerarcade, and their website holds a list of video games and business hours. They currently open at 4 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, noon on Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.

Drop in for “cool games, cold drinks, hot snacks, and modern nostalgia” — Buddy’s won’t disappoint!