LOGAN SQUARE — A German beer hall, a liquor distillery, a bar from the owners of Scofflaw, a bakery from James Beard-winning baker Mindy Segal and now an arcade bar.
That's right, the latest in a long line of new projects in the 2300 block of North Milwaukee Avenue is an arcade bar from the brothers behind the Emporium Arcade Bar in Wicker Park.
"It's going to be similar but not the exact same," Emporium owner Danny Marks said.
He and his brother, Emporium co-owner Doug Marks, recently filed zoning paperwork to allow an arcade bar in the building at 2363-65 N. Milwaukee Ave., once home to Thiessen Printing Corp.
That would put them smack in the center of a lighting-fast-developing half block of Milwaukee that is set to become home to a half dozen new businesses, including The Radler, a German-style beer hall and restaurant that just opened last month.
Marks said he hopes their new bar, dubbed Emporium Logan Square for now, will open sometime in the late spring.
At 8,500 square feet, the Logan Square incarnation is set to be quite a bit bigger than its predecessor, which opened in a 3,000-square-foot space but then nearly doubled with a summer expansion focusing on classic pinball machines.
Beyond that, Marks was not ready to reveal much else.
"Whatever it ends up being is still up in the air, but it's definitely happening," he said. "At this point we're still keeping some things under our hat."
However, in a press release emailed Friday, the owners released a few more tidbits about the new bar:
"Our ongoing vision for Emporium is that each location will have its own take on the Arcade Bar concept," the release reads. "Our original location currently features 51 Arcade video game and 12 pinball machines plus a beer and whiskey program to match. Additionally, we have recently added live music and a huge movie screen.
"It is true our new location is bigger and there is a reason for that: BIGGER GAMES! Our new location will primarily be a table game arcade. We will have many pool tables, foosball tables, air hockey tables, pinball machines, Ice Chexx (bubble hockey), shuffle puck bowlers and of course arcade video games. We felt there was a real underserved market for this type of thing as we get calls constantly about these kinds of games.
"We have many more surprises in store but the Logan Square location will be primarily 'Emporium: Table Games Edition' or something like that. So both locations are going to be unique, as will all of our future locations. The vibe and spirit of Emporium will be the tie that binds."
Matt Bailey, spokesman for Ald. Joe Moreno (1st), said the alderman is happy about the addition to the neighborhood. The original Emporium also is in his ward.
"It's been a successful concept in Wicker Park and we expect it to be as successful if not more successful in Logan Square," Bailey said.
