We recently connected with Casey & Eli Linthicum and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Casey & Eli , thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Well… our biggest risk yet is currently underway! We are opening our 3rd location later this year (pushing for early December!) in the Merriweather District in Columbia. This will be our biggest location yet at just under 4,000 square feet and our first full buildout. We are SUPER excited to bring such a fun and unique nightlife experience to our hometown of Columbia, and we are especially excited to be opening in the up-and-coming area of the Merriweather District. Stay tuned!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello! My name is Casey Linthicum and my husband Eli and I are the owners of GameOn bar+arcade the only arcade bar in Baltimore! We also have a location in Annapolis and are opening a 3rd location later this year in the Merriweather District in Columbia. We are a 90s themed arcade bar with old school stand-up arcade games, fun cocktails, and an atmosphere that will bring you right back to your youth (except with beers this time)!

We host a variety of gaming tournaments, have different theme nights, and amazing daily specials (such as 1/2 price game nights on Wednesday nights)!

We also recently expanded to our 3rd floor where we have a brand new speakeasy called “Top Shelf.” You can step back into prohibition days after walking through the phone booth on the 2nd floor of GameOn and proceeding to go up the hidden staircase to our 3rd level. Top Shelf is only open on Friday and Saturday nights from 8pm-2am and it is highly recommended that you make a reservation on our website due to high popularity and limited seating. You can also rent out the space for private parties.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I listen to a lot of motivational and time management podcasts on Spotify. Some of my faves are: Eric Thomas (aka “ET”), Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, & Steve Chandler

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

We hit the gas pedal hard and opened two locations back to back really making a statement right from the beginning. I reached out to all of the newspapers, social media influencers, etc I could think of to help get the word out there and surprisingly everyone was happy to talk to us. We had just come out of Covid so I think people were excited to get back into the swing of things and talk about new and exciting businesses opening up. Once we were able to establish ourselves as a legit bar+arcade we decided to add-on different fun experiences above each of our locations. For example, in Fed Hill we recently opened a speakeasy called Top Shelf and in Annapolis we opened up private karaoke + video game rooms. We love to have fun and hangout with friends so we’re constantly trying to create the most fun adult night out right inside our bars.

Contact Info:

• Website: Gameonbararcade.com
• Instagram: Gameonbararcade
• Facebook: GameOn Bar+Arcade – Fed Hill

Image Credits
Roy Cox