A century-old building near downtown Springfield that once serviced city vehicles and later housed a tool company is about to become home to vintage arcade games, golf simulators and sushi. LifeBar Arcade and Sushi Hikari plan to open a joint location at 300 N. Fountain Ave. in late September or early October, according to the businesses' owners.
The building's transformation caps more than three years of work, from the real-estate search through renovation, as reported by the Springfield News-Sun. LifeBar Arcade is owned by Joel Shear, Blake Stilwell and Zac Johnston, who received support from donors, investors, family and friends to get the venture off the ground. Shear has known Stilwell since high school, and Stilwell provided startup capital for both the business and the building purchase itself.
Commercial real estate records reviewed by Realtor.com show the 6,846-square-foot property last sold for $267,000 in May 2024. The building dates back to roughly 1916, when it opened as a municipal service station for Springfield's city vehicles before later becoming home to the Allen Tool Co., according to historical records shared by LifeBar Arcade. More recently, the space operated as a pawn shop before the current owners took it over.
From Food Hall Stools to a Standalone Storefront
Shear and Johnston originally planned to launch an apparel company together, but their path shifted after Shear met Johnston while working at The Market Bar inside COhatch, the downtown Springfield business incubator. Shear also met Sushi Hikari's Kyaw Say and May Moe through that same job at The Market Bar. COhatch Springfield opened in 2020 following a $3 million restoration of the historic 1908 Myers Market building, and it was designed specifically to incubate local food and beverage vendors, per Hub Springfield.
That incubator model has already sent multiple concepts into standalone commercial space. The Market Bar wrapped its run at COhatch in June 2023 as its team pursued broader downtown ventures, and Sushi Hikari followed a similar arc, opening a sushi stand inside the food hall in 2021 before expanding with its Fully Cooked Sushi food truck in 2023. Sushi Hikari closed its Myers Market location on Aug. 25, and the business plans to reopen at the new Fountain Avenue property in September, retaining about 80% of its existing menu while it adapts offerings based on market trends and customer preferences.
Sushi Hikari is owned by Moe and Say, whose own path to Springfield began well before COhatch existed. Say arrived in the United States from Myanmar in 2006 as an asylum-seeker and spent a decade training sushi chefs for Advanced Fresh Concepts before starting his own business locally, according to Hub Springfield. The couple's 10-year-old son, Aaron Say, is also part of the family behind the restaurant. Ahead of the indoor opening, Sushi Hikari has been serving customers directly from its food truck parked outside the new building during local community events in late August.
Arcade Cabinets, Golf Simulators and a Complete Rebuild
Turning the old tool company building into an entertainment venue required gutting it down to the studs. LifeBar Arcade's renovation included a complete replacement of the electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, carried out with regional contractors including Velorossa Design and Larson Plumbing. Crews also removed the building's drop ceiling and installed new flooring and insulation as part of the overhaul.
Once open, the space will feature vintage arcade cabinets such as Centipede and Street Fighter alongside two rentable golf simulator suites configured for virtual rounds on courses like Augusta. Shear has described the concept as one that combines craft cocktails, video games and merchandise, with the building also set to include private event spaces and retail offerings. The menu will pair Sushi Hikari's food with craft cocktails and a selection of local, domestic and imported beers.
Hours, Age Rules and a Regional Draw
LifeBar Arcade expects to operate seven days a week after a soft opening, with daily hours running roughly noon to 2 a.m. most days and shorter Sunday hours of noon to 9 p.m. The venue plans to welcome all ages during the first half of the day, but entry will be restricted to patrons 21 and up after 9 p.m., and anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult at other times.
The owners are aiming to pull in visitors from beyond Clark County, with hopes of attracting people from as far as Dayton and Columbus. That regional ambition fits into a broader push around downtown Springfield, which operates a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area allowing patrons to carry open drinks between participating venues along Fountain Avenue and other downtown thoroughfares, according to the City of Springfield. Springfield's downtown amenities have also fed into its broader appeal, with the city ranking No. 3 nationwide on the Wall Street Journal and Realtor.com's Hottest Emerging Housing Markets list in September 2021, per Ohio.org.
For now, Sushi Hikari will keep serving customers from its food truck outside the Fountain Avenue building while final work continues inside, with both businesses aiming to serve the Springfield community once the doors officially open.
