ALLEGAN — Downtown Allegan will soon be home to a new collaborative business, bringing ice cream, arcade games and, hopefully, liquor into a single, fun-filled spot.

The Regent Arcade Showroom — owned by Matt Adams and located at 128 Locust St. — will officially mesh with Scoopt, an ice cream shop at 155 Riverfront Plaza, in 2023. The businesses are owned by Adams under the umbrella Small Town Amusements.

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"Small Town Amusements started in 2018 when we first worked with the city on developing The Regent Arcade," Adams said. "Post-COVID, we took over operation of the arcade and moved to our current location, rebranding as The Regent Arcade Showroom.

"In 2021, Small Town Amusements purchased Scoopt, which is right on the riverfront downtown, with the intention of combining both businesses at that location. But then, we came up with this new partnership with ONE Enterprises for a street-level location."

The Regent Arcade launched in 2019 at the historic Regent Theatre, owned by the city, which approached Adams about opening an arcade in the old changing rooms of the building — now over a century old. For a time, the city rotated staff from the theater into the arcade and ran a small concession stand.

But when the pandemic hit, the arcade and theater were closed. By the time businesses started reopening, the city couldn't afford to staff the arcade. Adams and his business partner took over, until the city decided it wanted to rent the space out to someone else.

Adams landed on his feet on Locust Street, a retail space three times the size. Since the storefront was designed for retail use, he started selling barstools, mini-fridges and supplies — in addition to hosting pinball tournaments and letting customers play.

Now, those opportunities will move with the business to 118 Brady Street — the former Iron Bridge Sports Bar — where the new venture will feature a combination of food, drinks, ice cream and pinball.

"We're still in the very early stages of planning," Adams said. "But this is exactly what we were looking to do, in terms of bringing together The Regent Arcade and Scoopt. ONE Enterprises has continued to make other investments in Allegan, and we're partnering with them."

The entertainment center will feature more than ice cream.

"We're hoping to have a liquor license and a full bar, which will allow us to be creative with ice cream and slushies," Adams said. "We'll also have a full kitchen, which offers opportunities to advance our menu. We'll have a new name for the business, which is under development, as well."

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So far, the feedback since announcing the partnership has been positive.

"We're continuing to focus on fun and we're excited to bring these two things together," Adams said. "Everybody loves ice cream and, with the resurgence of pinball and interest in arcades, we'll be able to have everything in one space. We think we'll have a very unique spot."

— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink atcassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram@BizHolland.