CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Zach Pulliam’s dream of becoming an entrepreneur was built around a collection of classic Nintendo games. It crumbled Thursday as he announced Abari Game Bar won’t reopen in NoDa following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It just didn’t make sense anymore. I don’t want to keep just throwing money away and having to worry about the future because I don’t know how the virus is going to affect us,” Pulliam said. “It wasn’t the choice I wanted to make.”
He opened the popular arcade bar in March 2016. The pandemic forced him to close its doors when stay-at-home orders were issued in March of this year, just shy of its four-year anniversary.
Bars have been prohibited from resuming operations in Phase 2 of North Carolina’s reopening plan, which now lasts until at least Sept. 11.
“It was going to be a great year for us,” Pulliam said.
He talked with CBJ about how he built the business, where things stand and what he hopes comes next. Read the full story here.
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