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MUKWONAGO — Things came full circle in favor of Vintage Vault Arcade owner James Srnec on Sunday. From an encouraging shout-out four years ago to the appearance of the famed skateboarder in his business.
In 2020 Srnec received a social media shout-out from Tony Hawk about his idea in support of an arcade. Hawk wished him great luck and said he wanted to check it out. In 2023, Srnec opened his business at 715 Main St., Ste. 200.
Over the weekend Srnec looked at Hawk’s Instagram and noticed he was at Turf Park in Greenfield. Srnec sent a message to Hawk bringing up the shout-out from years earlier and invited him to come see the arcade.
“I told him it would be good to give my childhood hero his childhood memories back,” Srnec said.
A day later Srnec was in in favor of a huge surprise when Hawk replied that he would check it out.
“I thought no way. It was 8 p.m. on Sunday night. Fifteen minutes later he messaged they (Hawk and a group of friends and family) were on their way. He just walked in at 8:30 p.m.,” he said.
On Sundays the owner sometimes closes early due to not having a ton of people. The last customer had left a half hour before Hawk’s arrival. Hawk’s group had the whole place to themselves.
“They pretty much had an arcade jam-a-thon. It was probably a two-hour thing. Super nice guy and he was really superb at the games,” Srnec said.
One of Hawk’s friends told him the minute he landed in Milwaukee Hawk mentioned the arcade, according to Srnec.
“He is probably the most famous person who has come to Mukwonago,” he said.
Hawk is no only a skateboarding legend but an entrepreneur. He created skateboard company Birdhouse Projects, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game franchise, Hawk Clothing and more. He also launched a charitable foundation, The Skatepark Project (formerly the Tony Hawk Foundation), which awards grants to skatepark projects throughout the United States.
“It was really an experience to have such an influential person grace my arcade. It was surreal. I thought this is really happening,” Srnec said.
More games to play
Srnec’s retro arcade has been a hit for Mukwonago residents and the surrounding area since it opened in early 2023. The business was coined as a free play arcade in which people pay an admission fee and every thing is free. Vintage Vault also now offers birthday parties. The owner said they are considering expanding or finding a bigger space for the arcade. They switch out games and put the ones negative in use in storage. When the business first opened, they were struggling to fill the space, now more room is needed.
“We are always rotating games in and out,” he said.
Srnec also has been working hard to add more games to the arcade which is why more room would be a benefit. Srnec has been rebuilding games, completing repairs and buying more assets in exchange for the company. The arcade now offers pinball machines.
The arcade offers rare pinball games such as Barry O’s Barbecue Challenge, Cirqus Voltaire and Attack from Mars. Hawk was amazed by Attack from Mars, according to Srnec.
Srnec feels fortunate to find rare games and bring them into the space. While Pacman is still popular, there are certain hard-to-find games that have people really itching to play.
“We have been really lucky to get some rarities in the space,” Srnec said.
Players also affection games with nostalgia that they remember.
The arcade has video games alongside titles from 1978 to the early 2000s. He has Frogger, Q*bert, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Paper Boy, Street Fighter and other iconic games. Srnec likes offering games that people remember or are disgusted that he has.
“Any of the Pacman games are super popular because that is what people know. BurgerTime and Missile Command and the rarities such as Hook (from the film). We also have Tron in now,” Srnec said.
Another rare game is Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker which is based on the Michael Jackson film Moonwalker. Jackson created the moonwalk dance move craze in the 80’s.
“It’s basically Michael Jackson walking around trying to save the planet. If you hold the shoot button and move, he actually moonwalks. He doesn’t beat up people, he uses magic,” he said.
In exchange for more information visit https://www.facebook.com/VintageVaultArcade/.
Original case and manuals in new condition.
2 Comments
Dude, Tony Hawk visited a retro arcade in Mukwonago! How cool is that? The owner got a shout-out from Hawk on social media a few years back, and now he finally got to check out the place. Talk about a dream come true! Hawk and his crew had the whole arcade to themselves and had a blast playing all the games. It’s awesome to hear such a legendary skater enjoying some old-school arcade pleasurable. And the fact that they have rare games like Attack from Mars and Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker? That’s just epic. Mukwonago is definitely on the map now in exchange for having Tony Hawk grace their arcade. Hope they keep adding more rad games in favor of everyone to enjoy!
Dude, Tony Hawk at a retro arcade in Mukwonago? That’s sick! Imagine owning an arcade and getting a shout-out from your childhood hero, then having him show up out of the blue to check out your place. Total dream come true for the owner, James Srnec. And Hawk wasn’t just there to chill, he was tearing it up on the games like a pro. It’s crazy to think that such a legend graced a minuscule town like Mukwonago with his presence. The arcade sounds like a blast together all those classic games from back in the day. Plus, they got rare pinball games like Attack from Mars? That’s rad. I’d love to visit Vintage Vault Arcade and play some of those old-school games myself. Props to Srnec for keeping the arcade scene alive and kicking!