Hello, my name is Joe Sebe, and my wife, Rose, and I are the owners of Grizzly Arcade in downtown Wadsworth. Since opening in January 2025, our goal has always been bigger than running an arcade—we wanted to create a place where kids could learn, grow, and gain real-world experience in a safe, supportive environment.

Wadsworth has an incredible sense of community, and from day one we felt like part of a family. We built partnerships and friendships with local businesses, worked closely with the schools, donated to fundraisers, and created a space where students could unwind or work their first jobs. Our teenage employees (15 and 16 years old!) didn’t just show up and work the counter—they wrote our policies, ran our social media, managed customers, and handled major events with maturity far beyond their years. That’s what Grizzly Arcade was created for: to teach and empower kids. It’s a hands-on learning center disguised as a fun place to be.

But today, we need help.

How We Got Here:

We purchased the building at 129 Broad St. in 2019 and fully renovated it—new wiring, plumbing, HVAC, roof, doors, windows, everything. Our original plans for the building were to open an ice cream shop and manufacture our own brand of ice cream. In the back of the building we were looking at doing more of an upscale flea market or offering an indoor space for the farmers’ market. Then COVID hit. Partners dropped out, plans stalled, and we ended up carrying the full cost of a commercial property. We had to abandon our plans and lease out the building quickly. Lucky for us, we were able to find a tenant, and they leased the building for over a year.

During this time, my elderly parents were struggling with the upkeep of their house. Things seemed to be going well enough for us and my family and I decided that we would build a house with an in-law suite so we could move my parents in to be able to help them out. Three weeks after we broke ground on our house, our tenant informed us that they are no longer making any more payments and this was also right when property taxes, insurance, and utilities were all due. Not only did we lose a chunk of our income, but all the bills of the tenant were dropped into our lap.

After the tenant unexpectedly left with only one day’s notice, we tried to lease the building for a few months but were unsuccessful. While we still had some cash in reserve, we figured on giving the arcade idea a try. When the architect showed up to start on the job, we already had the walls framed, drywalled, painted, and trimmed out on one side. The other side of the wall was bare studs and ready for mechanicals. The architect told us that he will have our drawings in 4-6 weeks, and the contractors informed us that once they have the drawings that they only need about a month to wrap up. This was great news! It was time to order all the equipment.

The architect’s 4-6 weeks ended up being over six months and the whole time we were now paying for equipment sitting around as well as the building. That is one architect I would never recommend to anyone because he did not care at all what he was doing to our finances, but that is another story. We spoke to the county and put together a plan to open the arcade in phases so we could at least have some money coming in while we waited on the architect to now finish our drawings in phases. We opened the arcade in January 2025 and the ice cream shop in May, but two-thirds of the project running is not enough to support the expenses and the large amount of debt that had to be taken on.

We have pursued every avenue of funding available—including working with our bank on a consolidation loan—but as a new business, they need our 2025 tax return before they can finalize assistance. We are nearly at the finish line, but we’re running out of time. We had spoken to the bank in August and our projections for September were expected to be higher based on having more birthday parties scheduled for September than we did in August. However, walk-in and ice cream sales dropped bringing our overall numbers down. Our September and November numbers came in a little lower than we expected. So, we have little make up to do to hit the projections that the bank is expecting. A consolidation loan will drop our monthly debt payments considerably to where we would be profitable moving forward instead of negative every month.

What’s at Stake:

If we cannot stabilize our finances through community support, we will be forced to close our doors by February.

This would mean more than losing a business. It would mean losing:

• A safe, positive gathering place for kids

• A unique first-job training ground for local teens

• A future educational center for community programs

• Opportunities for partnerships with schools and downtown businesses

• A space designed to uplift the entire community

Our Vision Moving Forward:

If we can get through this moment, we plan to:

• Continue employing and mentoring Wadsworth teens

• Offer free quarterly/monthly educational sessions for students and community members on investing, real estate, business startups, and financial literacy (Future rollout)

• Collaborate even more closely with schools and local organizations

• Support fundraisers, student needs, and downtown events

• Finish our final buildout phase

How Your Support Helps:

Every donation goes directly toward:

• Keeping the lights on

• Catching up on utilities and equipment payments

• Bridging the gap until our consolidation loan is approved

We are not asking for a free handout—your support will go right back into the community we love so much.

We’re Close. We Just Need Help Getting Over the Hump.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. If you’re able, please consider donating, sharing, or simply stopping by for ice cream or booking a party. Every bit of support truly matters.

From the bottom of our hearts,

Joe, Rose, and the Grizzly Arcade Family

Grizzly Arcade — Wadsworth, Ohio