The Penny Arcade can be called the gem of Manitou Springs. But after 92 years, the gem had lost a little of its luster.
For decades, members of the Kerns family nurtured the cluster of red-and-white buildings in the 900 block of Manitou Avenue. The bright lights and sounds of children’s laughter and clanging machines have drawn generations of locals and visitors to the largest arcade west of the Mississippi River.
It’s an important part of the Manitou Springs Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
When Manitou resident and entrepreneur John Weiss heard that the arcade was for sale and the buildings might be turned into retail shops, he knew he had to take action. He formed Manitou Arcade Enterprises LLC and the purchase was finalized on May 30 for $2.6 million, according to the El Paso County Assessor’s Office.
Weiss and his staff will collaborate with the Manitou Art Center to engage the community in discussions about the arcade’s future. The effort has been dubbed the “Possibilities Project.”
Natalie Johnson, the MAC’s executive director, said in a press release that the “arcade is an integral part of our community story. The possibilities for partnerships, collaborations and workforce development are endless.”
Weiss bought the property and the business from Alan Kerns, 77, whose father, Jack, opened the arcade in 1933.
John Wellington “Jack” Kerns was born in Yonkers, New York, in 1907 and grew up in Delaware, according to Ancestry.com. Like many other young men, he headed west to make his fortune. In 1933, Kerns opened a gaming hall in downtown Manitou, painted it white with red trim and named it Bingo Jack’s.
However, Colorado’s attorney general decreed that for-profit bingo was gambling and the Kerns family switched their offerings to arcade games and photo booths. When Kerns registered for the draft in 1940, he attested that he was self-employed in the amusement business.
Kerns kept expanding to accommodate demand, and eventually had eight buildings, all painted white with red trim, housing more than 450 coin-operated games and rides.
He died in 1971 at age 63, and is buried in Fairview Cemetery on Colorado Springs’ Westside. His widow, Wanda Juanita Kerns, sold the business to their sons, including Alan, who grew up working at the arcade.
Slow and Steady
Weiss and his team, Manitou residents Maria and Alain Navaratne, are working out their strategies to “freshen up” the arcade’s equipment. They have no plans to retire the historic games that have delighted people for decades.
“After the summer season is over, we will work on systematically making many minor repairs to the HVAC, roof, rides and games. By early 2026, our goal is that [more than] 95% of the machines will be in fine form,” Weiss says. 
“By spring 2026, the Penny Arcade will have the same look and feel, with about 25 to 50 new games and rides, and the other 400 games/rides the same as we have now. We are exploring adding games built in Africa, Europe, South America and Asia,” he added.
They’re also researching the use of 3D printing to replicate some of the older machine parts.
Family Tradition
Like Weiss, the Navaratnes took their children to the Penny Arcade as they were growing up. The family moved to Colorado from England, and Alain Navaratne says they love showing the arcade to visitors from home since similar attractions are dying out there.
“A lot of the old holiday seaside resorts have piers; Brighton Pier would be a good example of where you’d be doing things similar to this,” he says.
Maria Navaratne recalls her children, Agnes, now 27, and Jules, 21, saving up their winning arcade tickets to claim prizes — “ridiculous things” like lava lamps.
“Every family in Manitou has got a story like that,” Maria says.
Manitou Springs Mayor John Graham and his wife, Sue, took their sons there when they were in grade school. They’d go at least once a week and have ice cream, then visit the arcade. Graham was carrying on a tradition he’d enjoyed as a boy visiting his grandparents in Manitou.
“Grandma was always worried that I’d fall off the bucking horses, so initially I had to stick with the more unexciting rides. By the time I was in kindergarten, she let me graduate to riding the little elephant, one of the real mainstays,” he recalls.
Speaking as the mayor, Graham has hopes for the arcade’s future.
“The arcade is an important draw that feeds the nearby retail shops and restaurants, so commercially it contributes to our economic well-being,” he says.
“I’ve been surprised at the number of people whose first association with Manitou Springs are memories of the Arcade.”
A Joyful Place
Maria Navaratne is especially happy about the people she’s working with.
“I absolutely love working with the staff. I love these kids. They’re just really unique people, and they’ve all got their own little stories, the ones who have been there for a while,” she says.
General Manager Adrianna “AJ” Janssen-Carlson has been working at the arcade for eight years and supervises about nine year-round employees and about 30 seasonal workers.
“My hunch is that we will need to increase staffing a bit by the summer of 2026, since we seem to be busier this year than in the past,” Weiss explains.
He estimates that about 75 percent of them are younger than 22.
“We want to promote it as a really great place to get your first job. If you can be reliable, consistent, interested, presentable, happy, creative, then this is a place for you to work in the summers,” Maria Navaratne says.
She’s there at least five days a week. Alain Navaratne is still the Manitou Art Center’s makerspace and gallery manager, but “pops in” whenever needed. Their daughter, Agnes, has come full circle and is building the arcade’s website.
Graham has high hopes for the arcade’s future.
“I hope people will be enjoying Skee-Ball until the sun burns out,” the mayor says.
Information: https://manitouspringsarcade.com/ or 719-685-9815.