Keene is full of restaurants and shops for people to go to, but now there will be a new place opening to hang out and have fun.
Artcade, a mix of an art space, gallery and arcade, is what owner Kristina Crabb hopes will be the new spot for Keene State students.
“Our hope is to connect with Keene State College students by providing a venue for students to display their talent and grow artistic skills at special events and gallery shows. We would love to reach out and make connections there. We hope we become a community space where students can relax and play some games together.”
Crabb said her love for arcade games stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic, when she and her husband started collecting them to have some fun while stuck at home. Their love for the machines led to the opening of two arcades that are already running: Loads of Fun at the Village Laundromat in Winchester and Captain Brady’s Buried Treasure in Swanzey. Now, she hopes to expand to somewhere more central–hence why the Artcade is opening up in downtown Keene.
“We want to be a place where people can come together in the community and relax, play some games and also [be] a venue for artists to display their talents and skills,” Crabb said. “We want to connect on a really creative level with the community.”
The arcade portion is set to have over 50 arcade games, some being skeeball, pinball, basketball and Dance Dance Revolution–Crabb’s personal favorite. In addition, there will also be more video game-like machines. The games will take physical quarters and dispense tickets rather than the card swipe system that more mainstream arcades use.
Crabb also said there will be a retail area for local art, in addition to craft supplies, ranging from beginner-level drawing guides to more advanced materials. The supplies are things that Crabb says are not easy to come by locally. Not only is there the retail space and arcade area, but there will also be another space for a gallery to feature local artists’ work.
The back of the building will have an area for vending machines for snacks and drinks. There will also be a multi-space area that will be used for craft and art classes that the Artcade will host for everyone– kids and adults.
The Artcade will also have in-house instructors who will host a workshop twice a week, as well as guest artist lessons from time to time, with provided supplies. Prices will vary depending on the workshop. Crabb also said the Artcade will host free meet-and-greet events with artists and authors.
The Artcade is going to have a soft opening this month with more sporadic hours as the staff gets going, but Crabb said the place is expected to be fully open before the end of March.
Hayley Doda can be contacted at
