RELATED: Dayton bar arcade taking shape
DK Effect will open in a building that formerly was home to a hookah bar and a cell phone accessories store before that..
“I chose this location and this building specifically to help revitalize and jump-start the Huffman business district,” Clark said.
He said his investment group has acquired and plans to rehab four commercial buildings along East Third Street that will help revive the Huffman neighborhood.
One project seeks to transform an empty funeral home at 1807 E. Third St. into a marketplace for antiques vendors and small businesses that sell crafts, gifts and other items. Clark is interested in transforming a tire shop next to the bar arcade into a pizza place.
In November, voters in the Huffman neighborhood approved liquor sales for DK Effect. The district was previously dry.
DK Effect will offer a variety of beers on tap, including some from Fifth Street Brewpub. Clark was one of the eight original investors in the Fifth Street beer co-op. It also will serve about mixed drinks.
DK Effect’s ownership has purchased about 100 games, but will cycle them in and out of the establishment to offer fresh gaming experiences. The actual bar itself is being custom built to hold four arcade games.
DK Effect will have classics like PAC-MAN, Donkey Kong and Mortal Kombat. It also will have projectors set up so people can play game consoles.
The arcade and carnival games will accept tokens that customers receive when they purchase beer or food items, Clark said.
DK Effect will be catered by food trucks, including the mobile barbecue stand S&S Meat House. But it also expects to sell pizza by the slice from a local pizzeria and soft pretzels.
RELATED: New mobile BBQ stand to serve near bar arcade
Clark said they would like to open the bar arcade by May 2, but that’s not a hard deadline.
“If it’s going to take longer, that’s fine because we want to do it right instead of rush through it,” Clark said.
Clark said the Huffman area is not as vibrant as the Oregon Historic District or the St. Anne’s neighborhood, but it has a lot of potential and it’s bouncing back.
Huffman has an abundance of beautiful homes and the number of vacant and abandoned properties have been declining, Clark said. More young people are moving into the neighborhood.
Josh Brown, the minority stakeholder in the company that owns DK Effect, said Huffman is on the mend.
“There’s been a lot of activity in the neighborhood,” he said.
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