The spot, known for its rooftop venue, is adding a quieter, renovated indoor lounge for people who want to hang out away from the noise.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The popular arcade in downtown Corpus Christi, known as Retro, is getting ready to reopen with a completely new look.

RELATED: Cassidy’s Irish Pub reveals full makeover with historic charm preserved

The spot, known for its rooftop venue, is adding a quieter, renovated indoor lounge for people who want to hang out away from the noise.

The makeover is thanks to funding from the Downtown TIRZ.

“There’s just no way I just didn’t have enough funds,” said Retro Arcade owner Freddy Rodriguez, talking about how the TIRZ 3 fund allowed him to start his business two years ago.

Now, he says having that financial head start is allowing him to transform part of Retro into a lounge room.

“Helped me get to that point where I could actually do this project,” he said.

It’s a transformation he hopes can bring a blast from the past back to downtown Corpus Christi.

“Renovations are going to do a lot of good for downtown. Back in the day this building was a nightclub called Aria. So now I’m bringing back a little bit of that vibe, only upstairs,” he said.

But in order to win the game, you have to know how to play. Rodriguez says TIRZ has the hidden move for success.

“Ever since we renovated it we noticed other existing establishments that have been going through renovations using TIRZ money,” he said.

Tracey Guajardo, who owns Allure Cosmetics and is preparing to launch Thirsty’s Bar downtown, said applying for TIRZ funding was easy — but it does take a strong business plan to get approved.

She already has experience as a shop owner and says the downtown location can’t be beat.

“It has brought my business of many years to a whole new level. Especially being downtown by Ocean Drive, you become more of not just a business but a neighbor,” she said.

Corpus Christi At-Large Councilman Roland Barrera says the bottom line of a TIRZ is to spur economic growth.

“We want to be able to create more taxable value. That should be the delta. Is this going to create more taxable value with the property,” he said.