A year after opening the 1UP in LoDo, business was so good Jourdan Adler took over the former Monkey Bar and opened it as the 2UP last June. Now, inspired by the success of arcade bars, Jesse Gossett and Mike Boselli took over the former Round Midnight space, which closed recently after a three-decade run, rehabbed the space in the span of a week and a half, doing most of the construction themselves, and re-opened it as Press Play last Friday.
See also: - Photos: A first look at 2Up on Colfax - The 1Up in LoDo at 1925 Blake Street - The 2Up on East Colfax in the former Pete's Monkey Bar space
Gossett says they've partnered with a guy from Mile High Arcade and Vending, and he'll be bringing in new games every day since he's constantly working on games and fixing them. Being born and raised in Boulder, Gossett and Boselli say they both went to Round Midnight in their twenties and the underground space reminded them of the Pinball Palace, the subterranean arcade that used to be a few blocks east on the Pearl Street Mall.
Gossett, who was a co-owner of the Loft (once Muddy's Coffee House and now NORAD), says Press Play will still be a dance club three nights a week, with DJ Bedz spinning on Fridays and DJ Low Key spinning on Thursdays and Saturdays.
In homage to Round Midnight, Gossett says they'll play old school hip-hop during the day, and the DJs will be spinning hip-hop at night as well. During the week, Gossett says he'd like to have the place have more of bar feel, but they're also kicking around ideas like putting ping pong tables on the dance floor or possibly having Bar Olympics, which was a big hit at the Loft.
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