A Sad Day

On November 1st, Sage and Annie Spirtos, owners of Rusty Quarters Arcade, posted the following image on the official Rusty Quarters Facebook Page:

This upcoming Wednesday Rusty Quarters will close for good.  It is a very sad day, as this amazing Twin Cities hangout will be no more.  I hope nothing but the best for Sage and Annie.  They are an amazing couple, and this is just a bump in the road for the two of them as they continue to share amazing adventures together.  Still, this is a tough time for them, and my thoughts and prayers are with them.

The Friends of Rusty Quarters did their part in building the RQ community and also bolster the arcade's game cabinet line-up.  In the short time that FORQ was around we were able to raise enough funds to purchase two different games: Street Fighter II: Championship Edition and Final Fight.  They were hugely popular and for the time they were there they got a great deal of play.

Now the big question for FORQ: What now?  Those who have supported FORQ and Rusty Quarters loved helping out an amazing couple try to keep such an amazing business open, but FORQ was also a group of classic gaming enthusiasts who enjoyed playing arcade games in the way they were meant to be played: With friends and strangers in a public setting.  It is not a group who wants to hoard this great hobby to themselves, but one they want to share.

So that's why FORQ may be ending along with Rusty Quarters, but a new group will rise and move forward with the goal of someday bringing classic gaming back to the Twin Cities.  We will be collecting the two games that were purchased and keep them in a secure location until there is a plan in place to either support a different Twin Cities arcade (since there aren't any it would have to be a new arcade that has yet to be established) or if able to, FORQ members will help create their own arcade.  The latter would be an incredible project that would require a lot of volunteerism and support, but we will see if that is something that can be structured.  If it is, we shall pursue it.

If a time comes in which either supporting a new arcade or developing one ourselves isn't a feasible option, then the games will be sold and the money from the sales will go to charity.

I am going to greatly miss Rusty Quarters.  I loved the warm atmosphere, I loved being in the glow of the games, and I loved reliving moments of my childhood.  Most of all, I'm going to miss a place that I loved taking my daughter, Shaelyn, to.  I told her today about the arcade closing, and she began to cry.  She had a great time there, and I can't thank Sage and Annie enough for the memories they created for us both.

Thank you, Sage and Annie.  You created a place of magic and wonder.  Rusty Quarters will be greatly missed.

Ted C. Williams
Founder, Friends of Rusty Quarters