Mayor Matthew Shoemaker joined owners Das and Sharmila Kumar for a ribbon cutting as the newly expanded Blaster Power House opened its doors with several new activities added to its entertainment offerings, like laser tag and cosmic bowling
After a name change, eight months of construction and a significant financial investment, newly-expanded Blaster Power House is officially open for business.
Formerly known as Soo Blaster, the downtown entertainment venue has added square footage to host a number of new attractions, like a laser tag arena, indoor kid’s playground, a party room, two lanes of cosmic bowling and an LED lighted floor called Super Grid, among others.
“The child’s play area is very popular with with the younger kids. It’s almost like an American Gladiator for young kids,” said T.J. O’Neil, Blaster Power House event manager.
SooToday got a sneak peek at the new attractions during a soft launch last month.
Most of the new attractions are located in an adjacent space formally occupied by Gates College of Business, Culinary & Healthcare. O’Neil said renovations took about eight months to complete.
Along with the new attractions, the business maintains its existing stage, bar, video game machines and pool tables. The restaurant has been rebranded under the name Ribs and Wings.
O’Neil said the existing sports simulators have been upgraded and a screen has been added to the stage for use for future live music events.
People can come in any time during regular business hours, but O’Neil said its best for larger groups to reserve the facilities they want to use.
“If a group comes in, we’d like to book them and make it a special experience for them. We definitely advise you to call ahead,” he said.
Groups could include birthdays, sports teams, workplace team-building or any other collection of people looking to have a good time, said O’Neil.
“When you have a group together that wants to celebrate something, a graduation,even if you want to celebrate a Saturday, we’re here for you,” he said.
Mayor Matthew Shoemaker was on hand today for the official ribbon-cutting event at the space.
After a tour, Shoemaker thanked owners Das and Sharmila Kumar for investing in new activities not previously available in the city.
“Thank you all for making our downtown an active and fun place to be and there’s lots going on here and hopefully it’ll bring lots of people down here and they can stay in our community,” said Shoemaker.
The Kumars opened the business as Soo Blaster in 2017 as a bar, restaurant, arcade and concert and sports venue.