Gotcha Gachapon is expanding to Eastland Mall. The new location will be named Akiba Arcade, but owner Anthony Locke said it’ll be a mirror image of Gotcha Gachapon, a Japanese arcade for all ages.
Locke first opened Gachapon in 2014 in the Short North, but moved just a year later to a bigger space on East Fifth Avenue. There, they were able to offer more games and a retail section with anime toys, figurines, plush and home goods. Their new location will spread out over 7,800 square feet.
Akiba will inhabit an old Victoria’s Secret, and the space needs only minimal changes. Turns out, the color scheme works perfectly for Akiba’s theme — their logo is pink and blue. There wasn’t a need for construction, either, leaving Locke to focus on the branding and advertising.
Akiba will have classic Japanese games as well as newer ones, and Locke is partnering with a friend who’ll bring over a selection of game rentals. For a $5 entry fee, guests will have access to all of the games for an hour. Prices will adjust as more time is bought.
“It’s gonna be a pretty impressive collection,” Locke said. “Definitely games you can’t play anywhere else.”
In close proximity to a food court, Akiba won’t have the same issues as Gachapon. After Locke’s plans for a cafe didn’t pan out, Gachapon had a food truck “for about two days.” That’s when his cook moved to Chicago. When no replacement was found, the truck was sold.
Locke doesn’t anticipate the move to take very long, as they’ll just be shuffling overflow games from Gachapon over to Eastland. Their grand opening is set for June 15.
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