SALEM — Bit Bar will soon have a new home in the heart of downtown Salem.
With the support of a significant crowdfunding campaign, the Salem barcade will be moving to the former site of the Salem Beerworks at 278 Derby St.
“It’s a space that’s been a cultural institution in Salem for decades,” said Bit Bar marketing and special event organizer Rob Hall. “We’re excited to make it something new and exciting.”
The move has been aided by a gofundme page, through which the barcade has raised almost $35,000.
“We were floored that we were able to raise what we’ve had so far,” said Hall. “It’s really gratifying to see people we’ve known over the years thinking of us.”
The campaign offers a variety of incentives for donors, starting with a $30 token punch card for a $25 donation, a $60 token punch card and Bit Bar sticker set for a $50 donation, and a $150 token punch card, T-Shirt, and sticker set for donating $100.
With larger donations, the rewards start to get really fun, with a “tokens for life” member card at $250. At $500, donors can get a two-hour private rental space for up to 30 people with tokens and hors d’oeuvres in the new location’s function room.
At $1,400, donors will be allowed to select a game to be located at Bit Bar for at least two years and will be given a plaque in their honor next to the game, along with a signed piece of Bit Bar game memorabilia and a priceless digital non-fungible token Bit Bar artwork.
Bit Bar has already surpassed its initial goal of $25,000 to offset moving costs and is now hoping to reach some larger goals. The establishment achieved the first of those additional goals — bringing a new $7,500 Rick and Morty pinball machine to the space — on April 2.
Now its ownership is hoping to raise about $6,000 more to bring the first Killer Queen machine, a massive 10-person arcade game, to New England. Hall said the game is a “modern classic” that “has a following throughout the United States,” but it has yet to reach the Northeast.
Bit Bar will remain open at its current location until July and plans to open its new location in August. The owners have shifted their focus toward renting out the full arcade during the pandemic, which includes offering private rentals from Monday to Thursday. The establishment has retained its normal hours, 4 p.m. to midnight for Friday, and noon to 11 p.m. for Saturday and Sunday.
The Salem Beerworks closed permanently during the pandemic, shutting down in March and announcing in June that it would not be able to reopen. The restaurant first opened in 1996.
The Beerworks’ iconic brewery equipment has been removed from the front room of the restaurant, and that space will now be turned into a private venue.
The former Beerworks’ Derby Street space is three times larger than the previous site of Bit Bar at 50 Saint Peter St. Hall plans to expand the arcade’s offerings with that additional space.
Hall said he hopes to add Skee-Ball, Dance Dance Revolution, air hockey, and KTV-style private karaoke rooms. Additional bar and kitchen space will allow Bit Bar to expand its menu options as well, he said.
Bit Bar has signed a 10-year lease at the Derby Street location.
