A Return to Retrovolt Arcade

I should start with an apology for the lack of posts here in recent weeks. The summer has been a busy time, but we can put that right as we head towards the end of the year.

One of the things I did during August was a ten day trip to California, taking in a few bits of classic arcade activity along the way. I’ll post these up on the blog in the weeks ahead, starting with a review of this independent local arcade in a small town on the outskirts of Los Angeles, just off the main highway between LA and Palm Springs.

I’ve visited Retrovolt Arcade in Calimesa previously, and figured as I was passing that way again, I should pop in to check out how things have changed since my last time there.

Covid proved to be a tough time for Retrovolt’s owner Bob. With no income coming in during lockdown, the rent still needed paying and this resulted in, he tells me, the sale of some inventory to meet the obligations of the business. But having now come out the other side, the arcade is now doing better than ever, and plans are afoot to seek out new premises to expand the footprint of Retrovolt still further.

And none of this comes as a surprise. What I found was a great space, a positive vibe and some great machines, curated really well to provide an almost perfect arcade experience for locals and visitors to Calimesa alike. Here’s some pictures taking during my visit:

But its pinball that stands out at Retrovolt. Bob makes it a priority to site the latest Stern releases and pepper those with some classic tables:

To get a proper feel of the place, check out this recent walkthrough video of the arcade:

It was great to see Bob again, and reassuring to see that even in this small California town, the classic arcade can still survive and thrive!

You can watch a recent interview with Bob here to get more insight into how the arcade came to be and Bo’s plans for the future:

So pop in to Retrovolt if you’re in the area. Its a 90 minute drive out of Los Angeles and a really cool place to spend a couple of hours. I’ll be a regular visitor for sure! Highly recommended!

Plan your visit and get more details here.

Thanks for visiting the blog this week!

Tony