Carranza Wade, like many others, was affected by the pandemic, but saw a problem and decided to create a solution.
Wade, a Shreveport, La., native has been in DeSoto since 2003 and worked at Sprint for 18 years until he was laid off last August. His next move would be to flesh out an idea that he had been working on since January 2020.
“My son was a freshman at DeSoto High School last year, and on the weekend, he would always be in the house,” Wade said. “I asked him: ‘Why are you always at home?’ He said, “Dad, there’s nothing for me to do on the weekend.’”
The conversation inspired Wade to open a venue called The Vault Arcade, an environment where teenagers can eat, play video games on high-definition televisions and consoles such as Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch and XBox while listening to music they enjoy.
When his doors opened in November during the pandemic, however, Wade did not receive the response he expected. “No one came,” he said.
So he pivoted from his initial idea.
“Opening did not have an impact at all,” Wade said. “I was hoping, going into the Christmas Break, this thing would be the best thing smoking in DeSoto, and the complete opposite happened.”
Wade said parents kept their kids at home while they decided to go out. So Wade put his full-time arcade idea on hold, and to pay the bills, he instead held all-purpose events, including comedy shows that drew adults.
“We attempted to use them to market this space to their kids,” he said. “Once parents saw the versatility of the space, they asked about other uses for the space.”
Boxing matches and birthday parties are just some of the different activities that have taken place at The Vault Arcade.
“We’re a full-time arcade every day for gaming and once things pick up — once the kids start coming on a regular basis — I will probably never hold another adult event again,” he said. “This space is really dedicated to the kids.”
The Vault Arcade, 901 N. Polk St. Ste. 370, is open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Prices for venue rental and packages can be found on the website.
