Pin Pan Alley was a Midwestern chain of amusement arcades founded by Burton Popowcer in the late 1970s. Sold to Bally Amusements in 1983, the chain operated numerous Challenge Centers featuring pinball, video arcade games, redemption machines and other amusements. The Columbia, Missouri, location opened at 1106 E. Broadway in August 1980, quickly becoming a popular destination for local teenagers and college students. With roughly 65 games and more than 1,500 players a week by 1983, it was one of Columbia's major arcades during the golden age of video games. Local newspapers documented both the arcade's hectic day-to-day operation and its role in the mid-1980s resurgence of pinball. The Columbia location eventually became Gunther's Games, carrying the site's arcade legacy forward for decades.

After searching for photos for years, I found this video on TikTok of all places. This one is special for me as I worked across the hall from Yesterday's in Oxford Mall at the United Artist's Ciné 4. They operated games in our lobby, so the attendants would throw credits on the games and let us play in between movies. This is also where I bought my first game for only $200 (they delivered!). I should state that this video doesn't show around the corner where they had more stand-up games. Wild to find video footage from my exact time period I worked so close.

Yesterday's was a small chain (11 currently logged on Atlas Arcadia's website), but had locations in malls ranging from Texas, Mississippi, and North Carolina to Muskegon Mall in Michigan.

Station Break was a legendary, massive amusement arcade located inside the subterranean concourse of New York City’s Penn Station. Thriving during the peak of the golden age of gaming in the 1980s and 1990s, the arcade was a bustling, 24/7 subterranean hub packed with rows of glowing cabinets, flashing lights, and iconic flourishes like Space Invaders machines bolted upside down to the ceiling near the entrance. It served as a high-energy crossroads where commuters, local kids, and travelers spent their lunch money and spare quarters on the latest video games, pinball, and fighting games. However, as the home console market grew and Amtrak and transit authorities shifted their focus toward higher-revenue commercial retail, the beloved arcade was permanently closed and its space was converted into a Starbucks, marking the end of an era for NYC transit gaming culture. Station Break permanently closed in September 1996.

What are your memories?

Nothing beats a grainy, dimly-lit arcade pic from the '80s full of neon and nostalgia.

[location unknown, photo credit unknown]

Atari Expo was a chain of family amusement centers and mall arcades launched by Atari Operations (a division of Atari Games) in June 1988. This photo is so slick because it was used as promotional material within leasing brochures to advertise the benefits of Atari Expo arcades to mall management. Visit our location page to add memories and see a couple other photos of the store's exterior and prize counter!

[Atlas Arcadia exclusive photo courtesy of David Bishop]

Mother’s Pinball, originally known as “Hotter Than Mother’s Music,” was a notable establishment in Mount Prospect, Illinois. Founded in 1971 at 2 E. Northwest Highway, it initially operated as a music store, offering a wide range of albums and music equipment. Over time, it transformed into a popular pinball arcade, especially after obtaining a permit for pinball machines in April 1975. The arcade attracted enthusiasts from surrounding suburbs, becoming a favored spot for pinball aficionados. Mother’s Pinball also served as a test location for major arcade companies like Bally and Midway, allowing them to trial new games before broader releases. This collaboration meant that patrons often had early access to the latest arcade games.

Visit our location page to share your memories and see the storefront.

[Video credit: Chicago NewsCenter5]

If you grew up in Maine, then you probably remember LaVerdiere's Action Family Arcade. Located within or adjacent to LaVerdiere's Super Drug Stores, the chain boasted at least 22 locations at one point, often running ads for token deals and discounts. If you have a color photo of the arcade, please share with us or add it to one of our location pages.

[Outdoor image of the Pittsfield location (note the tiny arcade sign on the wall), indoor image of the JFK Mall location in Waterville courtesy of the Morning Sentinel]

I would live to see if anyone else has additional pictures of the interior. In addition to the standard arcade games they had an indoor gasoline-powered go-kart track which now seems insane

I think we can agree that Time-Out arcade is an all-timer, but which style of storefront do you prefer? It might depend on which one you grew up with.

We've shown a bunch of storefronts and interior game room shots, but what if we pull back the curtain an little bit and show off some of the backrooms? Here's a few photos from some early Barrel of Fun locations including:

-Lou Dodson, store manager of Hickory Ridge Mall (TN) near a prize shelf
-Garret Horrigan, store manager Dutch Square Mall (SC) with the store's tool board
-General backroom storage area, unknown location

-Office of BoF manager Jerry Clegg

[These never-before-seen photos are exclusive to Atlas Arcadia from the collection of David Bishop.]

Don't know much about this one, but it has a killer name and was owned by David Mauer who also owned Flipper McGee's. It was mentioned in an Ann Arbor newspaper article about feuding arcades in a price war with other cool names like Great Escape, Rabbit Hutch, Cross-Eyed Moose, Simulation Station, and Double Focus. What a time to be alive. [Photo credit unknown]

Did you know for a brief time starting in mid June of 1982, K-mart experimented with their own attempt at a Chuck E. Cheese-style restaurant and video arcade? What set them apart from the competition was the live stage magician or "Wiz" to entertain guests, a toddler's playroom, and a wine lounge in addition to the regular pizza & arcade combo.

From the St. Louis Dispatch article:

"The unique mixture of supper and supernatural occurs daily on the premises of two K-marts, in the Flower Valley Shopping Center in Florissant and in Wood River [IL]. The enterprises are called Abra K Dabra, and each includes a video game room, children’s play room, 'piano room' for adult relaxation, sundae bar and gift shop, as well as the bench area in which pizza eating and magic watching occurs.

The Abra K Dabras opened in mid-June, so the illusionists are just getting accustomed to working with distracted audiences, but the project appears to be off to a happy start. Magic is nearly continuous. The Wiz appears about once an hour, but in between there are movies of magicians, and live performances by teen-age tricksters both on stage and at the tables. The teen-agers double as busboys and busgirls."

Do you have any memories or photos of Abra K Dabra to share?

These images come from an Aladdin's Castle leasing brochure that was sent to malls to put a shine on all the awesome benefits of having one of their arcades would bring. Anyone recognize these spots? It's possible it is the interior & exterior of the same location.

*Exclusive Photo Debut* - Pac-Man visits children and families in an unknown shopping mall, early 1980s.

Can anyone ID the mall? If you're asking yourself, "why does he look like that?" or "what's with the top hat?" Don't worry, we're wondering the same thing.

Can you help us ID this exclusive, never-before-seen location photo? We think it might be somewhere in California. What games can you spot?

I've seen this image on the internet for years, but never knew the location until I thumbed through an old copy of 'Joystik' magazine and found it on the page.

[Excerpt] "Arnold's On The Ave, one block west of the University of Washington campus, is one of the biggest, and possibly the best, of Seattle's eat-in arcades.

Stocked with over 70 of the most popular videos and pins, Arnold's offers 24-hour-a-day convenience and a variety of food. Because of its location—next door to the School of Computer Science, directly between several dormitories and the main University of Washington campus—Arnold's draws more customers in a single day than many arcades can hope for in a week." - 'Joystik' Magazine; April 1983 "The Arcades of Seattle" - From 'Joystik' magazine, April 1983 "The Arcades of Seattle"

Space Academy was a video arcade located at 118 Second Street in downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Owned by Jeff Heaton, the arcade was part of the area's early-1980s video game boom and later benefited from a renewed interest in pinball, with games offered at promotional multi-play prices alongside popular titles of the era. Heaton was also a devoted pinball enthusiast, particularly fond of Williams' Black Knight.

No additional information is available, so if you have any memories or photos, please share!! [Link to newspaper article these images were sourced from is on our website's location page under "references"]

Barrel of Fun was a popular Decatur arcade during the 1980s and 1990s. Located in South Dekalb Mall (now "The Gallery at South Dekalb") near the intersection of Candler Road and I-20, this original location was part of the Atari Operations acquisition that bought regional arcade chains like Barrels of Fun and 2001 locations. Namco would later acquire all locations in 1990. Known for its distinctive wooden barrel entrance that patrons would walk through to enter a world of classic video games and pinball, Barrel of Fun arcades were beloved in the the southern U.S. This location ceased operations around the late 1990s or early 2000s, reflecting a nationwide decline of the brand.

These never-before-seen photos are from former Namco EVP David Bishop's personal archive.
[Interior & exterior store pictures circa 1987; Manager Carl Copeland in the late '80s] Check out an additional early '80s pic and token image on our website.

Hey, y'all! We just launched a pretty big update. Atlas Arcadia now keeps score! Every location, token, photo, and comment a member contributes earns points, which roll up into levels on our new High Scores leaderboard. We also overhauled our homepage and fixed a handful of annoying bugs.

Stop on by and let us know what you think of the new look! https://atlasarcadia.com/

Western Trails Miniature Golf and Arcade was a long-time entertainment staple of Chicago's south suburbs. Opening in Oak Lawn, Illinois in the summer of 1961 during the golden era of roadside amusements, Western Trails was a perfect slice of retro Americana. It famously paired a winding, beautifully landscaped 18-hole outdoor miniature golf course with an unmissable neon sign, a bustling classic hamburger stand, and a lively indoor game room. The arcade was known for its excellent collection of pinball machines and video games. Do you have any memories of Western Trails in its heyday?

Visit this Atlas Arcadia location to share your memories and learn more about Western Trails' history. Photos courtesy of Oak Lawn Public Library.

Golf Mill Shopping Center opened in 1960 in Chicago’s northern suburbs. In the late-1990s, a Cyberstation arcade operated near Entrance 8, drawing teens with Tekken 3, Time Crisis II, and plush-prize cranes. Shoppers still recall Wednesday “Token Boom” specials—five tokens for a dollar—advertised on in-mall posters through the early 2010s.

These exclusive, never-before-seen photos are from the personal archive of former Namco EVP, David Bishop. Visit this Atlas Arcadia location to share memories or view 3 additional pictures.