In the spring of 2025, a full-size retro arcade opened at 10 Washington Street in Middlebury, next door to Green Peppers and Buy Again Alley. It was not a thing anyone was expecting, and it turned out to be exactly what the town needed.

Retro Realm is run by Christian Bloom, who spent decades working his way up through the arcade world — starting at Chuck E. Cheese on Long Island at age 16, then managing arcades for large companies in Maryland, Nevada, California, and Alabama, before landing at Spare Time Entertainment in Colchester. That's the job that brought him to Vermont. He settled in Bridport with his family, and eventually decided to go small. His personal collection of 12 machines became the seed. Then he and his son CJ made three separate 13-hour round trips to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to haul back 60 more machines from a company selling off its collection. Then came the Facebook Marketplace hunts, the eBay searches, the deep dives into Museum of the Game. The result is a room full of working arcade machines from the 1980s and 1990s — the real thing, not reproductions.

Star Wars Trilogy Arcade. Cruis'n. Spider-Man: The Video Game. Point Blank 2. Tekken 3. An original 1981 Ms. Pac-Man. Air hockey. Crane games. Pinball. The lineup changes as machines get repaired, acquired, and occasionally retired.

The pricing is flat-rate — you pay one price and play as long as you want, which removes the anxiety of watching quarters disappear and lets you actually enjoy the games. For parents with kids who grew up on these machines, it's an unexpected nostalgia trip. For kids who've never touched a physical joystick, it's a revelation.

Bloom has recently purchased Green Peppers next door, and the two businesses have begun combining in some ways — including combo specials pairing arcade time with pizza.


Retro Realm

10 Washington Street, Middlebury, VT | (802) 755-5694 | retrorealmarcade.com

Next to Green Peppers | Hours vary — check website or Instagram