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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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Reboot Retrocade & Bar Set to Open in Mid-October

Macon’s newest bar may also be its nerdiest.

The Reboot Retrocade & Bar will be located on Cherry Street. Offering a full bar, snacks and games of every kind, the new business hopes to be an inclusive atmosphere for people of all types.

“We’re hoping to make downtown an encapsulating experience. So you arrive, you stay and you play all day,” co-owner Jeremy Smith said.

The bar will feature 25 to 30 vintage arcade games, a console game lounge, up to 70 board games, tables games and even an indoor lawn where patrons can play croquet, bocce ball and more.  There will be no cover to enter the bar and table and board games will be free. Console and lawn games will be free with an open tab and arcade games will only cost one token (valued at 25 cents).

Co-owners and long-time couple Smith and Whitney Boyer thought of the idea last winter when they realized that Macon had a lot to offer, but was still had some noticeable gaps in the entertainment sector.

“We live a block away, we come down here all the time and we just thought, ‘there’s something missing in the way of variety downtown,’” Boyer said.

Describing themselves as nerds, Boyer and Smith decided to start doing their research; visiting arcade bars across the country and learning how to create a unique twist on entertainment. They now have big plans for the business, hoping to be a part of the downtown scene while offering something unexpected.

“There's a market here for people who want to have fun and they need a good hangout spot. We hope to fulfill that,” Smith said.

While the new Michael’s Law that recently went into effect in Georgia prohibits anyone under the age of 21 to enter a bar, an establishment where alcohol makes up 75 percent of its total sales, the new business owners remain hopeful that some of Mercer’s older students will find the Reboot Retrocade & Bar a popular new hangout.

“It’s an added difficulty . . . But I think Mercer students should spend more time downtown in general, there’s a lot of great stuff happening down here,” Boyer said.

Boyer herself graduated from Mercer University in 2011 with a degree in Industrial Management. She spoke fondly of her alma mater and the Macon community, emphasizing the need for engagement. Smith agreed.

“There’s a good culture growing in downtown and I think once [Mercer Students] see it, they will want to be apart of it,” Smith said.

Some other amenities the Reboot Retrocade & Bar will offer are fandom-themed cocktails and shots, a low-commission retro-themed art gallery for affordable art, fandom events, cosplay days, live action roleplaying (LARPing) and more.

Students can expect to see the Retrocade doors open in mid-October.

“We are going to be a laid back bar — come in and find your fun,” Smith said.


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