By Thomas Smith

Josh Karam’s inspiration for an arcade first struck him in the summer of 2021 after taking his wife Erika Mozes’ nephews to an arcade bar on Danforth Avenue in Toronto.

“The kiddos, they loved it,” said Karam.

The experience stuck with them. With memories of going to the arcade as kids and shovelling quarters into the Pac-Man arcade cabinet and taking dates to the arcade, Karam felt that an arcade was a perfect fit for Delancey Sports, which was named after the location of their New York City apartment, located at Delancey Street and Suffolk Street.

“I was the hog playing Pac-Man trying to get the high score,” laughed Karam.

While Karam and Mozes considered renting an additional space in Haliburton, they ultimately decided to rearrange the back of their store to allow for game cabinets and video game consoles.

To stay on theme, all of the games involve sports in some way.

Delancey’s Arcade’s game cabinets include NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, Street Fighter, and Mrs. Pac-Man. They also have a Nintendo Switch, PS5, and Xbox available, all with sports games. Some of the featured sports include golfing, tennis, volleyball, football, soccer, and hockey. There is also a selection of candy bars for sale to keep gamers gaming.

“Mrs. Pac-Man kind of counts, she is running after the ghosts,” said Mozes with a laugh.

Karam and Mozes’ goal was to create a safe and family friendly environment in Haliburton. With a lack of spaces oriented for kids in the county, the couple figured that there would be demand for a space where families can come together, have fun, and even book it for events like birthday parties.

“It is an important space in the community that has little for kids to do,” said Karam.

For only five dollars per arcade guest, Karam and Mozes hope to make Delancey’s Arcade an affordable, must-do destination for youth and entire intergenerational families.

Karam says that he has created the space that his younger self would love. Growing up his family could not afford the newest gaming consoles.

All games are set on free play. You can play any game you want, for as long as you want.

Not just for kids, parents and even grandparents flock to the space looking for something to do together with their young ones. Everyone ends up having a great time, says Karam.

With the increased foot traffic to Haliburton’s downtown core, they hope the arcade space will encourage more shopping to other local businesses and get youth interested in taking up sports. Unlike many businesses in the county, they hope that Delancey’s Arcade can service the community year-round.

“We are the cheapest babysitter in town,” said Karam with a laugh.

Even with his passion for sports and gaming, Karam assures that their basement is not filled with arcade machines. All gaming cabinets remain at their two main locations in Haliburton and at their recently opened store in Bracebridge, says Mozes.

With Delancey’s Arcade opening last month, Karam and Mozes will need to see how successful their operation is before adding additional games, a pool table, expanding their space, or extending their hours.

At their 162 Highland street location, they hope that their central location and proximity to the high school encourages high school students to come in and play for as long as they want. The couple says that they would be interested in bringing in a sports-themed pinball machine if someone in the area is capable of assisting with its maintenance.

Karam says that the response to the arcade space has been extremely positive since its opening last month. Many customers that come in take photos and videos of the space and post them on social media.

Mozes’ nephews say that Delancey’s Arcade is one of the best arcade spaces that they have ever seen. Karam also reports that the most popular game has been NBA Jam and the least popular has been NFL Blitz, likely due to its level of difficulty.

“I like to tell people that I am living my dream,” said Karam. “I opened a sports themed arcade in the back of my own sporting goods store.”

Delancey Sports and Delancey’s Arcade is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. They are currently located at 162 Highland street in Haliburton and have everything you need for your latest sporting adventure or gaming session. Delancey’s Arcade can be booked for special events in three hour timeslots. They welcome people to bring in their own food, such as pizza for pizza parties but cannot accommodate food that needs to be kept cold, such as ice cream cakes. If you are interested in booking the arcade space for your next birthday party, work function, or social mixer, please visit delanceysports.com/collections/thesportscade or email info@delanceysports.com.