CARROT RIVER 鈥� Maria Kunz hopes to recapture some of the energy from the golden age of arcade games with Kunz鈥檚 Korner Haven 鈥� a coffee shop and arcade in Carrot River.
Games are planned to include a pinball machine, pool table and arcade system with 60 games.
Food will include subs, breakfast sandwiches, smoothies, and a wide variety of coffee including espresso, cappuccinos and lattes.
Kunz, the owner and operator, said that growing up, she was always drawn to Pac-Man 鈥� something which she made sure was included in the game system.
鈥淲ay back in the day we actually used to have an arcade spot for people to go and enjoy, and then it closed down and I thought it would be nice to open something like that,鈥� Kunz said.
鈥淭o me, a place like this arcade we used to have in Carrot River was a haven of sorts. It was a place to get away and not have to deal with whatever I was going through. A port in my storm for a brief moment in time before heading back into reality.鈥�
She said that for years creating the business was her vision, but with the pandemic she felt 鈥淕od鈥檚 nudging鈥� that it was the time to make it a reality.
鈥淭his past year and a bit the kids have had so much taken away from them that I wanted to bring something in that they could escape to and have a little fun, get together with friends and just hang out.鈥�
The store, set to open in mid-August is located at 102 First Street West, the former site of Rasuls Convenience.
During Carrot River council鈥檚 June meeting, council approved Kunz鈥檚 Korner Haven for a two-year exemption of municipal and education property taxes as an incentive available for new businesses by application. The incentive will apply to the new business beginning in the 2022 tax year.
