Sometimes a business opportunity starts with a plan. Ours started with canceled plans—and something we’d wanted to build for years.
American Gear Company has been making custom products since 1997. A big part of our business has been helping brands and promotional companies create snowboards, wakeboards, shot skis, and other products for their marketing programs.
Then COVID hit.
Many of our customers used those products for onsite promotions, events, and in-person programs. When those programs were canceled, the orders tied to them were affected, too.
We still had our machinery, our shop, and our employees. What we needed was an opportunity to put those capabilities to work.
Arcades had always been on our “we should build one” list, initially just because we thought it would be fun. Suddenly, the timing made sense to take that idea seriously.
From a Fun Idea to a Business Opportunity
Building an arcade brought together things we already enjoyed and understood: manufacturing, custom artwork, working with different materials, and turning an idea into a finished physical product.
There was plenty to learn, especially about the controls, computers, and details that make an arcade enjoyable to use. But we had a foundation to build on, and now we had a reason to make the time.
What had been a someday project became a business opportunity.
There was one condition, though: if we were going to build arcades, we wanted to build the best machines we could.
Quality Came Before Volume
We weren’t interested in chasing the lowest price or seeing how many cabinets we could push out the door.
Our preference was simple: make fewer machines and make them great.
That meant paying attention to the whole experience—the cabinet, the artwork, the controls, the screen, the sound, and the computer running it. A cabinet can look impressive in a photo, but you notice the details when you stand in front of it and start playing.
Does it feel solid? Are the controls comfortable? Is the system suited to the games you want to play? Does the finish hold up to a closer look?
Those were the questions we wanted guiding our decisions.
Custom Means Building Around the Player
Our background in custom products made artwork a natural part of the process. An arcade can be a centerpiece for a game room, an extension of a company’s brand, or something personal that you won’t find anywhere else.
But the customization goes beyond the graphics.
Someone who wants classic joystick games may want a different setup than someone interested in trackball games, spinners, light guns, or more demanding console systems. The cabinet and computer should make sense for the person using them.
That’s why we care about helping customers understand their options. More equipment isn’t automatically a better build. The right equipment is what matters.
We Take the Build Seriously Because the Fun Should Last
The appeal of an arcade is easy to understand. You walk up, recognize a game, and decide to give it a try. Someone joins you. A quick game turns into a competition, and suddenly everyone wants another turn.
That was what attracted us to arcades in the first place.
COVID created the opening to pursue the idea, but the goal became bigger than finding something else to manufacture. We wanted to make pieces we were proud to put our name on—machines people would enjoy owning and keep coming back to.
We’d still rather build a smaller number of great arcades than compromise what goes into them to sell more.
That’s how we got started, and that’s the approach we want to keep.
Thinking about an arcade for your home or business? Explore the options and plan your build. We’ll help you put together a cabinet around your space, your style, and the games you want to play.
