25 Union Street, the home for 42 years to Maxwell Silverman's Toolhouse (Loopnet)
Bar arcade planned for former Maxwell Silverman's Toolhouse
Freeplay Bar Arcade, which bills itself as a "retro video arcade & bar with over 160 classic video games, pinball, and Skee Ball," is set to take over the Union Street location that was for 42 years the home of the legendary Worcester restaurant Maxwell Silverman's Toolhouse.
Freeplay will appear before the License Commission on Thursday to request liquor and entertainment licenses. The first Freeplay was opened in Providence in August 2017 by partners Jay Leone and Anthony Santurri.
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Leone and Santurri are two of the three directors, with Erik Tidd, of LTS Entertainment Inc., the operator of Free Play. LTS was registered with the Secretary of State's office in Massachusetts on Aug. 14.
About a year ago, Gus Giordano,owner of Maxwell Silverman's announced he was leaving the Union Street location for his other successful operation at Union Station. “Maxwell Silverman’s has stood the test of time, but this will be my last year here,” he told the Telegram & Gazette at the time. “It’s time to move on, and I’m excited about the new concepts that we’ll bring to Union Station.”
At its downtown Providence location, Free Play charges a $5 cover charge ($10 on Friday and Saturday) and offers unlimited free play on all of its games.
In addition to a full bar, Free Play serves a selection of flatbread pizzas for $9.
The bar is 21 and older, but does offer family days. It holds tournaments and LGBTQ+ "Gayme Nights."
Free Play will be the second barcade in the city. Pixels and Pints, 179 Grafton St., figures to open first. And another may yet be coming. Earlier this year, The Quarters, "a Hadley-based bar and vintage arcade," expressed interest in opening at Union Station, according to MassLive.
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