'We're very disappointed': Round1 in Northwoods Mall is closing in May
PEORIA — After a little more than five years in business, Round1 in Northwoods Mall is closing.
Signs posted inside the doors of the business announced that the arcade would be closing for good at 10 p.m. May 21.
“We’ve actually known for a couple weeks,” said Zach Chapman, food and beverage manager at Round1, as he stood in the arcade Thursday morning. “There have been rumors in the community, probably because staff members had told their family about it, but the official announcement came yesterday.”
Chapman said the decision to close was made at the corporate level, and the reasons were not shared with employees in Peoria. But he did lay some of the blame on the community for not supporting the business.
“It’s a situation where something was great for our community, but they weren’t ready to receive it,” he said.
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Round1 got some bad publicity after several fights broke out when the business opened in 2017. The resulting reputation may have kept some people from frequenting the business.
“It’s not right for people to blame the establishment. That can happen anywhere when teens are there,” said Chapman. “People like to blame us, but where are the parents at?”
Northwoods Mall general manager Julie Revallo said fights in the mall were isolated incidents and not the fault of Round1, and that the arcade was full of families every weekend.
“We’re very disappointed that they are leaving, because it was a great family adventure,” she said.
Round1 is a national chain that provides a variety of indoor games and activities for customers. In addition to arcade games, it also has pool and pingpong tables, darts, karaoke rooms, a bowling alley, and a restaurant that serves alcohol. Open from 10 a.m. to midnight, the Peoria location was the only Round1 in downstate Illinois.
“It was great for Peoria. People would drive from all over to come here,” said Northwoods Mall operations director Allen Hurt.
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Mall management has already begun considering ways to fill the space, said Revallo.
“We’re going to try to keep the bowling alleys, all the kitchen stuff, the karaoke rooms. It’s a neat space,” she said. “We have some ideas on how to restructure it. The corporation is looking into it.”
Leslie Renken can be reached at (309) 370-5087 or lrenken@pjstar.com. Follow her on Facebook.com/leslie.renken.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Round1 at Northwoods Mall is closing after 5 years in Peoria
