Zelky’s Beach North Arcade temporarily closes its doors

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – Zelky’s Beach North Arcade is shutting its doors, but only temporarily.

A new hotel will take over the site that’s been standing for almost 100 years. For 40 of those years, tourists and locals have flocked to the boardwalk staple to try their luck at some of the Zelky’s prizes that line the walls.

General Manager, Matt Weiner said while it’s hard to see the original doors close, he’s excited for new ones to open.

“A lot of people are really sad to see the original location go,” said Weiner. “They’ve got so many memories in this specific building, I mean, this building is almost 100 years old and has pieces of amusements in it for its entirety.”

Blake Dunbar has been working for Zelky’s for five months. He said the north location will always hold a special place in his heart.

“It keeps my energy up; I get to meet new people, socialize nonstop– I’m a very happy, joyful person, and it’s just a happy place,” said Dunbar.

And Michelle Jaye shared that happiness during her first ever trip to the arcade hot spot.

“They really have a lot going on,” said Jaye. “It’s a great location and it’s bigger than what it looks like on the outside, so that’s sad. I hope it opens back up soon.”

But don’t worry. Weiner said Zelky’s will have a spot to claim right inside of the new hotel building.

“We keep saying we’ll be happy to take as much space that’s available, to put games on the boardwalk, to put right next to the pizza place that’s going right in the same building,” said Weiner.

You can get your hands on some of the machines that have made Zelky’s so iconic over the years. The general manager of the arcade is holding an auction on September 10th, giving locals a chance to own a piece of its past.

Zelky’s will be auctioning off every arcade game, all of which are in pristine condition. Weiners said the online auction will be the final hoorah for the location and they’re hoping Zelky’s fanatics show up for the event to help keep the legacy alive.

“If you’ve got the space for it in your home, you’ve got kids that want to play it, take home a piece of arcade history– take home a piece of Rehoboth history,” said Weiner.

You can find the link for the auction on the Zelky’s Facebook page.