Closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus and restrictions in the state of Oregon, Game Over Arcade in the coastal town of Lincoln City is unsure about its future.
“At no fault of our own, we’re losing everything we have,” said owner Christopher Donner. “We worked our entire lives for this and we’re losing everything.” He told KGW8 that he and his wife closed the arcade in peak tourism season. “We said, ‘This is going to be the biggest hit.’ Spring break is where we make our money and we put that money away for the year.”
Passing its 7-year anniversary last week, May 4, Donner said they’d been living their dream with the business. “Between the two of us, we did five combat deployments overseas and a lot of dedication, a lot of time and money went into planning this.” Their friends started a GoFundMe to help keep the family business alive.
Donner said he didn’t think Game Over would need to apply for a PPP loan because they were under the impression the arcade would be able to reopen in May. But restrictions in the state were extended. “And at that point, we were already behind on that list. So many people got on that SBA loan before us. So, when we finally got it in, we didn’t make it.”
As for now, it’s a waiting game to see when they’re allowed to reopen. Donner said they’ll keep doing what they’re supposed to, but he can see why some business owners in Oregon are defying the governor’s order and reopening. While he won’t go down that road, “My point is if the government can say, ‘Hey, we’re shutting you down,’ they have to have some kind of plan to take care of us because this is not right.
“We know we’re not going to make it much past July. We have to start doing stuff and selling our machines. I’m already in the red and I’ve got a mountain of bills that are still going to come in,” he added. “I know we’re not the only ones going through this, I know we’re not the only ones. All I want to do is raise awareness that this is happening.”
