The Octane Arcade has broken ground

When one door closes, another opens. 

Gunnison is losing a longtime community staple, Berfield’s Stage Stop. The combination fisherman’s paradise, gas station and U-Haul rental made Berfield’s the perfect one-stop-shop for the average Gunnison local. 

Co-owners Delanie Martin, Cole Hansen, a mechanic at Skyhigh Offroad, and Joshua Hoppstadter, the owner of Gunnison Towing, bought the building from Andy Boston on May 14 and immediately started gutting the space to make room for the Octane Arcade. 

The newest addition to Gunnison’s community spaces will feature between 30 and 40 retro arcade games, a full bar, rentable party-rooms and a game room that will include five TV’s, an X-Box, Playstation, Wii, Gamecube and Atari. Plus, the Burger Company, which has been missing from local’s lives since they left the base area, will have a food truck that will park inside via the western-facing wall. They’ve even decided to keep the gas station out front and continue renting U-Hauls to the people of Gunnison. 

Martin recalled a trip she and her husband, Hansen, had taken to Carlsbad, New Mexico, during the most recent government shutdown. They went down with their kids to see Caverns National Park and found that after the sightseeing, not much was open. The family wandered their way into an old arcade and a lightbulb went off. 

“This will mean a lot to the community,” said Martin. “There is really nothing for kids to do in this town inside. I really think this will be a good contribution.” She laughed mentioning how her kids are not outdoorsy and have needed a space like this to be social. 

After a few months poking around vacant spaces in Gunnison, the trio caught wind of Berfield’s closing and approached Boston. The process was simple and neighborly and within one day of purchasing, construction had already started. 

The Octane Arcade is aiming for a July opening, hoping to catch a chunk of the summer crowd before the warm weather dwindles. The bar, however, will take a little longer to get up and running. In the meantime, there will be sodas and snacks for sale, and burgers being served. Martin stressed the importance of community in this new effort. People need a place to gather and share in their interest. With that effort in mind, she mentioned that the Octane Arcade is aiming to keep prices as accessible as possible so that everyone feels welcome in the space.

“We’re working hard to transform the space into a fun destination for families, friends, students and the entire community,” said Martin in a Facebook post from May 15.

While an old community staple like Berfield’s Stage Stop will be missed by fisherman and nostalgic locals, the Octane Arcade is helping to fill a gap within the community.