After 92 years under the stewardship of the Kerns family, the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade has a new caretaker, and he’s no stranger to the neighborhood.
John Weiss, longtime Manitou resident and former publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent, officially took over the arcade on May 8. Known as the largest historic arcade west of the Mississippi, the Penny Arcade boasts over 450 coin-operated games spanning more than a century of amusement history. Weiss sees the purchase as both a personal passion project and a strategic move to protect a cornerstone of Manitou’s cultural identity.
“This is what Manitou needs," Weiss says. "We don't need, and I'm being a little blunt, another T-shirt shop for tourists. We need something authentic, something low-tech but fun and affordable."
That resilience, paired with personal memories of bringing his family to the arcade, inspired Weiss to step in as the next steward of the historic institution. "This was our go-to place when my kids and I lived two blocks away," Weiss says. "It's very much like a playground where you can leave your kids there if they're nine and ten, and there are enough people around that they can play games and hang out."
Over time, though, Weiss began to notice ways the business was falling behind. “I spent lots of time with the owner and learned a lot about the business,” he says. “He was doing lots of things really well, but some things he wasn't — and it was hurting him.” Chief among those issues was the arcade’s lack of marketing and digital presence.
“He did absolutely no marketing. Zero — both paid and earned media,” Weiss recalls. “He kept turning down media requests because he didn't like the media. There wasn’t even a website, so people would call constantly just to ask if it was open.” The missed opportunities struck Weiss, a veteran of the publishing industry, as both a challenge and a calling.
“It was already profitable,” Weiss says. “My goal, and the most profitable thing we can do, is keep 75 percent of the arcade exactly the same and make improvements to 25 percent of it while keeping the flavor of a historic arcade. I see this as a triple bottom line business: we're going to make a profit, it's making a profit and we're going to maintain what it is because we couldn't live with ourselves if we didn't."
The arcade's existing general manager, known as AJ, will remain in charge of daily operations with support from thirty full- and part-time staff. “After working at the arcade for the past eight years, what I love the most about my job is helping people have a wonderful time when they are on their vacations,” AJ says.
Maria and Alain Navaratne, longtime Manitou residents, are also joining the leadership team to help handle the summer crowds. “If the weather is fine, more than 2,500 people will visit the Arcade over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend,” Maria notes. “We will be working to ensure that we are well prepared.”
Under its new leadership, Weiss promises continuity. He considers himself a "caretaker" rather than an owner, and his primary goal is to ensure that the Penny Arcade remains in Manitou for the next several decades.
“Right now, our motto is, ‘Do no harm,'" Weiss says. "We're not saying we're never going to make changes, but when in doubt, don't make changes. The staff has been running the shop, and they're going to continue running the shop. I'm the owner, but I'm really chairman of the board. My goal is not to focus on day-to-day operations at all, but to think about where we want to be in six months, a year and two years."
Infrastructure improvements are planned, including electrical and plumbing upgrades, preventative flood protection, and potential winter heating for uninsulated buildings. Weiss also hopes to enhance prize offerings — currently about 95 percent of which are imported — by featuring more locally made items.
In terms of downtown impact, the Penny Arcade already plays a major role in Manitou’s economy and Weiss wants to keep it that way. "It already contributes a lot to the Manitou Springs area," Weiss says. "It is by far the most popular venue. No place downtown comes even close."
Beyond operations, Weiss is launching the Possibilities Project in collaboration with the Manitou Art Center. Led by MAC executive director Natalie Johnson, the initiative will explore public programming, community partnerships and workforce development opportunities that tie the arcade more closely into the fabric of Manitou Springs.
“The arcade is an integral part of our community story,” Johnson says. “The possibilities for partnerships, collaborations and workforce development are endless.”
Weiss is also considering long-term options for the arcade’s future, including a possible transition to nonprofit or museum status.
"It's hard to predict what comes next, but one of the things I hope is that I'm out of the arcade business and that it's owned by some nonprofit or community-minded entrepreneur," Weiss says. "This is fun right now, but in five years, it will be less fun. One of the things I'm already doing is looking at an exit strategy. Some local nonprofits have reached out, and they're saying, ‘Maybe we'll run the arcade as a museum or something,' but, to be honest, we don't know exactly."
For now, he’s focused on keeping the arcade a vibrant community. It is a rare third space that brings people together from all walks of life in an increasingly divided world.
"It's just old-time family fun," Weiss says. "You see all kinds of people here. You can kind of guess the political affiliations of many of the people there, and it's one of the few places in town that lots of different people go to, and I like that."
Manitou Springs Penny Arcade, 930 Manitou Avenue, Manitou Springs, is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. or later, depending on demand. Learn more at manitouspringsarcade.com.
John Weiss, longtime Manitou resident and former publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent, officially took over the arcade on May 8. Known as the largest historic arcade west of the Mississippi, the Penny Arcade boasts over 450 coin-operated games spanning more than a century of amusement history. Weiss sees the purchase as both a personal passion project and a strategic move to protect a cornerstone of Manitou’s cultural identity.
“This is what Manitou needs," Weiss says. "We don't need, and I'm being a little blunt, another T-shirt shop for tourists. We need something authentic, something low-tech but fun and affordable."
Before buying the arcade, Weiss was best known for founding the Indy, a once-thriving alt-weekly known for its fearless local reporting. He left the publication in 2022, and in the years since, the Independent has endured multiple ownership changes, a failed rebrand and, most recently, the abrupt layoff of its entire staff in April.
While the paper’s future remains uncertain, Weiss’s pivot from journalism to arcade ownership speaks to his ongoing investment in community institutions, albeit in a very different form. The Penny Arcade began in 1933 as Bingo Jacks, a for-profit gaming hall launched by Jack Kerns. After state regulators cracked down on gambling, the Kerns family pivoted to coin-operated amusements.
The business remained in the Kerns family until Weiss closed the deal on the arcade on May 8, following a four-month due diligence period. A second transaction to purchase the real estate is expected to close in the coming weeks.
For Weiss, the attraction isn’t just sentimental, it’s also practical. As economic pressures mount and families look for inexpensive entertainment, Weiss believes the arcade’s old-school charm offers a kind of “negative elasticity."
“When the economy goes down, their income goes up," he says. "Because if you don’t have much money, you can spend ten or twenty bucks on a date in the arcade and have a good time. So it’s a great business, and that's one of the things that inspired me to move forward.”
While the paper’s future remains uncertain, Weiss’s pivot from journalism to arcade ownership speaks to his ongoing investment in community institutions, albeit in a very different form. The Penny Arcade began in 1933 as Bingo Jacks, a for-profit gaming hall launched by Jack Kerns. After state regulators cracked down on gambling, the Kerns family pivoted to coin-operated amusements.
The business remained in the Kerns family until Weiss closed the deal on the arcade on May 8, following a four-month due diligence period. A second transaction to purchase the real estate is expected to close in the coming weeks.
For Weiss, the attraction isn’t just sentimental, it’s also practical. As economic pressures mount and families look for inexpensive entertainment, Weiss believes the arcade’s old-school charm offers a kind of “negative elasticity."
“When the economy goes down, their income goes up," he says. "Because if you don’t have much money, you can spend ten or twenty bucks on a date in the arcade and have a good time. So it’s a great business, and that's one of the things that inspired me to move forward.”
That resilience, paired with personal memories of bringing his family to the arcade, inspired Weiss to step in as the next steward of the historic institution. "This was our go-to place when my kids and I lived two blocks away," Weiss says. "It's very much like a playground where you can leave your kids there if they're nine and ten, and there are enough people around that they can play games and hang out."
Over time, though, Weiss began to notice ways the business was falling behind. “I spent lots of time with the owner and learned a lot about the business,” he says. “He was doing lots of things really well, but some things he wasn't — and it was hurting him.” Chief among those issues was the arcade’s lack of marketing and digital presence.
“He did absolutely no marketing. Zero — both paid and earned media,” Weiss recalls. “He kept turning down media requests because he didn't like the media. There wasn’t even a website, so people would call constantly just to ask if it was open.” The missed opportunities struck Weiss, a veteran of the publishing industry, as both a challenge and a calling.
“It was already profitable,” Weiss says. “My goal, and the most profitable thing we can do, is keep 75 percent of the arcade exactly the same and make improvements to 25 percent of it while keeping the flavor of a historic arcade. I see this as a triple bottom line business: we're going to make a profit, it's making a profit and we're going to maintain what it is because we couldn't live with ourselves if we didn't."
The arcade's existing general manager, known as AJ, will remain in charge of daily operations with support from thirty full- and part-time staff. “After working at the arcade for the past eight years, what I love the most about my job is helping people have a wonderful time when they are on their vacations,” AJ says.
Maria and Alain Navaratne, longtime Manitou residents, are also joining the leadership team to help handle the summer crowds. “If the weather is fine, more than 2,500 people will visit the Arcade over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend,” Maria notes. “We will be working to ensure that we are well prepared.”
Under its new leadership, Weiss promises continuity. He considers himself a "caretaker" rather than an owner, and his primary goal is to ensure that the Penny Arcade remains in Manitou for the next several decades.
“Right now, our motto is, ‘Do no harm,'" Weiss says. "We're not saying we're never going to make changes, but when in doubt, don't make changes. The staff has been running the shop, and they're going to continue running the shop. I'm the owner, but I'm really chairman of the board. My goal is not to focus on day-to-day operations at all, but to think about where we want to be in six months, a year and two years."
Infrastructure improvements are planned, including electrical and plumbing upgrades, preventative flood protection, and potential winter heating for uninsulated buildings. Weiss also hopes to enhance prize offerings — currently about 95 percent of which are imported — by featuring more locally made items.
In terms of downtown impact, the Penny Arcade already plays a major role in Manitou’s economy and Weiss wants to keep it that way. "It already contributes a lot to the Manitou Springs area," Weiss says. "It is by far the most popular venue. No place downtown comes even close."
Beyond operations, Weiss is launching the Possibilities Project in collaboration with the Manitou Art Center. Led by MAC executive director Natalie Johnson, the initiative will explore public programming, community partnerships and workforce development opportunities that tie the arcade more closely into the fabric of Manitou Springs.
“The arcade is an integral part of our community story,” Johnson says. “The possibilities for partnerships, collaborations and workforce development are endless.”
Weiss is also considering long-term options for the arcade’s future, including a possible transition to nonprofit or museum status.
"It's hard to predict what comes next, but one of the things I hope is that I'm out of the arcade business and that it's owned by some nonprofit or community-minded entrepreneur," Weiss says. "This is fun right now, but in five years, it will be less fun. One of the things I'm already doing is looking at an exit strategy. Some local nonprofits have reached out, and they're saying, ‘Maybe we'll run the arcade as a museum or something,' but, to be honest, we don't know exactly."
For now, he’s focused on keeping the arcade a vibrant community. It is a rare third space that brings people together from all walks of life in an increasingly divided world.
"It's just old-time family fun," Weiss says. "You see all kinds of people here. You can kind of guess the political affiliations of many of the people there, and it's one of the few places in town that lots of different people go to, and I like that."
Manitou Springs Penny Arcade, 930 Manitou Avenue, Manitou Springs, is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. or later, depending on demand. Learn more at manitouspringsarcade.com.
