Castro Arcade Bar "Project 22" Details Revealed

Castro Arcade Bar "Project 22" Details RevealedPhoto: Roy McKenzie
Roy
Published on May 20, 2014

The owners of Blackbird Bar (2124 Market Street) are getting ready to open a new bar along the same stretch of Market Street in the ground floor retail space at the Century build (2200 Market Street). The format is arcade bar serving beer and wine. The bar, code named "Project 22" for now, will be host to 10 arcade machines with eventual expansion to 24. Owners and siblings Tiffny and Shawn Vergara hosted a neighborhood question and answer session at the currently vacant location. I took some screenshots of the plans Tiffny and Shawn put together. The plan calls for an "industrial game-space" with jumbo screens, a juke box, bottle cap topped tables, industrial lighting, exposed ceilings, polished cement floors all designed by C. Walters Design. Craig's Walters was also responsible for the design of Blackbird, Hi Tops, Fable, The Edge, Midnight Sun. The arcade games that are planned for the space include Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Galaga, Mortal Kombat, Centipede, Frogger, Donkey Kong Jr., Tetris, and more. We snapped a photo of the floor plan, too, which shows a lounge area with bench seating and tables to the right of the entrance, the bar off to the left of the entrance with bar stools lining the window facing Market Street, arcade machines lined up along the east wall, and 24 bar stools situated around 3 pub tables. We asked Tiffny what she thought about people already characterizing the bar as a gay bar. She mentioned that they are going to let the neighborhood decide the clientele. Shawn mentioned that they were not planning on expanding the beer and wine license to a full liquor license, mainly because such an approval process would be too difficult. The siblings still require final approval from the Planning Commission and are on track to open the new arcade concept bar within the next 4-6 months.