New vintage arcade in Montreal’s West Island

Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue on Montreal’s West Island is now home to a new vintage arcade – Singh’s Arcade! It has quickly become one of the few places, those in the area can come, pass time, play games, and even have a milkshake.

“It’s a place that’s really made to center you into a moment. We just want to create a good memory,” says the owner Gursagar Singh.

Singh, who is 20-years-old, was set to attend McGill University, but decided to take a gap year to focus on the arcade.

On a day to day basis he says, “I get to see people just enjoy a moment,” something he mentionsn is rare to come by, “you see smiles everywhere, but there’s not much joy behind those smiles, and I’ve a rare opportunity to see joy,”

With the opening of the arcade just in September, Singh says, he did not expect so many people to stop by so quickly, a number he says is in the hundreds.

“It’s looks great, I’m actually excited about it,” says an arcade attendee, adding that he really likes the old school vibe of the place, “it has all the games we would play at arcades, opposed to all the new 3D stuff,”

Singh created the arcade because he saw a need, growing up in the West Island, there wasn’t always much to do for entertainment.

“Everytime I hung out with my friends we would be driving so far to find something to do, so with this place… you don’t need to travel to create memories,”

His main goal is to eventually create a space for youth to not only hang out, but to also build a community, but for now the joy he is able to bring others lets him know he’s doing something right.

“It just makes me happy. I don’t even have words to express it but I don’t think I’ve processed everything yet…I see people having fun…then they come back again and again, you just look forward to bringing them more moments,”