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The 35th anniversary of Tornado Terry’s Family Amusement Center will be a week before its last open day.
Owner Shannon Bell posted on Facebook June 10 that the retro arcade will close in August due to issues caused by road work on Keller Hicks Road in Fort Worth.
What's happening?
The arcade will celebrate its 35th anniversary Aug. 1 but close Aug. 9, Bell said.
Tornado Terry's features old-school and new arcade-style games, as well as billiards tables and air hockey games, according to its Facebook. The business opened in Keller in 1989 and moved to its current location in Fort Worth two years later.
In 2024, the city of Fort Worth started a $23 million project to add turn lanes and traffic signals on Keller Hicks Road, according to the city website.
Bell said when she sold 21 feet to the city, she thought the project would be completed in two years. Instead, the first phase lasted two years. The second phase is currently in progress.
Bell said the first year of road construction led to a 27% decrease in business. It’s down another 34% this year, saying it is unsustainable with the price of items going up and the construction issues.
“The construction has 100% to do with the closure,” she said. “They had to buy a part of the property up front and they told us it would be a two-year project. I made it past two years, but the completion date isn’t until the summer of 2027.”
She said the directions of the road closure and issues related to apps directing traffic have made it almost impossible to gain access to the location.
Looking ahead
Bell said she wants to keep the amusement center open until August to give children who have saved up game tickets to redeem them for prizes.
A live auction will be held to liquidate all the equipment in August.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with the business anniversary date.
