Nearly two months after closing its Palmer Township location, VR Cafe is now pulling the plug for good at Lehigh Valley Mall.
The closures mark the end of a business venture for married owners Josh and Erika Pados, and the couple’s business partner Dakoda Finken, all from Pen Argyl. The trio initially opened in 2018 at Palmer Park Mall and after significant success, expanded with the second location the next year at Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall. The business is next to Macys and Otaku House on the mall’s upper level.
VR Cafe, however, like so many other businesses became ravaged financially amid the coronavirus pandemic. The locations then were coupled with supply chain hurdles and high inflation costs in the post-pandemic. Those factors led the owners to close in Palmer this past February as they attempted to keep doors open in Whitehall.
The trio now plans to continue operating until the end of April at Lehigh Valley Mall, but will be liquidating all equipment from now until then. Items include computers, consoles, VR headsets, desks, gaming chairs, televisions and arcade machines.
Owners took to the business’ Facebook page Monday to announce the decision to loyal customers. The posting includes a video montage of the crew and guests at the sites over the years.
“After the two months of research and estimation, the VR Cafe and it’s staff have come to the decision to close our Lehigh Valley Mall location, as well,” the posting states. “This decision comes hard as we have had a continued loyal customer base and we really wanted to continue on as long as possible to make sure everyone continued to enjoy their time at our cafe, but we have noticed several concerning trends in our industry.”
“Thank you all for the past 6 years, it has been a fun journey filled with ups and downs. This is not a ‘goodbye,’ but just a ‘see you later’ in the form of something new!,” the posting added.
Josh Pados told lehighvalleylive.com Monday afternoon the pandemic had the owners dipping into savings accounts after the March 2020 shutdown. The silver lining with the Whitehall location versus Palmer Park Mall, however, was more patronage.
“It was much milder as our Lehigh location was busier, but even that store was showing an overall decline over time,” Josh Pados said about the Whitehall closure. “Everything was going well, but as well all know, 2020 hit and it really knocked the wind out of our sales, but now is when all of it caught up to us.”
VR Cafe was known as a modern-aged arcade. There was top-of-the-line virtual reality equipment; an extensive game selection of more than 40 choices; console gaming; and group tournaments. Gaming fans did all this while enjoying hot cups of java, cappuccino, tea or hot cocoa.
While some patrons enjoyed virtual reality games to play by themselves, the cafe also had the option to split time among a group or by separate booths for multiplayer games. Others opted for the consoles on a couch co-op television or personal monitor. Hand-held controllers and headsets, completed with viewing goggles and headphones, provided a fully immersive experience with 360-degree views.
Asked about the next steps, Josh Pados is optimistic for a new venture in the near future. There is no concrete timeline or direction yet, but it’ll be part of the entertainment industry again, he said.
“We want to do it again because we all loved it,” Josh Pados said. “We all laughed and had a good time while we were working. It didn’t feel like work. It felt like hanging out with a group of friends and always meeting new people.”
“Almost everyone that came in had walked out with a smile or a laugh or a story about what they were doing to their friends or family,” he added. “When your job is to make people laugh and have a good time, it doesn’t feel like a job.”
VR Cafe is the second retailer to pull out of the mall this month.
Country Memories — between Against All Odds and the now-shuttered Chrystols Shoetique — plans to close permanently by mid-April, owner Pat Vandak had said. Things Remembered also shuttered between Battle Star and Hot Topic earlier this year, followed by Vera Bradley in late February at the mall’s Lifestyle Center.
All Weather Selvedge was slated to open April 1 on the mall’s upper level; and Kendra Scott and Face Foundrie both are expected to open sometime this summer at the mall’s Lifestyle Center.
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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.