Heard rumors that Dorky’s is closing? Here’s what we know about the arcade’s status
Rumors are swirling this week that Dorky's Arcade in downtown Tacoma has shuttered. Now the establishment is setting the record straight on social media.
"Dorky's will be closed this weekend for remodeling and revamping the business," the bar-arcade wrote Friday morning on Facebook. "A lot of things have been going on this last week. One of our employees was seriously injured. Please pray for Connor and his family.
"Don't worry, we're not giving up on Tacoma yet ..."
The fate of Dorky's has been a hot topic on social media in recent days. One Facebook user in the group "Washington State Pinheads!!" grieved the establishment on Thursday morning, writing: "RIP." The person said they hadn't heard whether the business would return, but that they doubted it.
Another Facebook commenter inquired on a Dorky's post : "So are you closing for good or what?" Reddit users have similarly tried to suss out whether reports of the arcade's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
The News Tribune made several attempts to reach Dorky's via phone and email but has not heard back. The media company also stopped by the business twice on Thursday, once shortly after it was scheduled to open at 3 p.m. and again after 4 p.m. Both times the door was locked.
Dorky's did respond to a Facebook message asking if it was closing. "No. I just left dorkys (Caroline Dennewith). Les Vorosbond is still operating dorkys." (Dennewith and Voros-Bond have been partners and Dorky's Arcade co-owners .)
Asked if it'd be possible to speak with her or Voros-Bond, Dennewith — who said she left last Friday — replied in part: "I don't think so. I have no comment."
Shooting in downtown Tacoma
In an Oct. 12 post, popular Facebook page "Tacompton Files" wrote that it sounded like a Dorky's employee had been "possibly shot in the stomach last night."
A Tacoma Police Department spokesperson told the newspaper last weekend that someone in the 700 block of Pacific Avenue had called about a shooting at around 12:50 a.m. Saturday.
Dorky's is located at 754 Pacific Ave.
The police spokesperson confirmed that the call came in at Dorky's. However, she said, the department generally does not name establishments in such cases because they aren't necessarily at fault for the crime.
The News Tribune did not explicitly name Dorky's in the Oct. 12 story about the shooting to avoid victimizing the business.
On Friday, the Tacoma police spokesperson was unable to confirm whether the victim in last weekend's shooting was a Dorky's employee. That information was not included in the report, she said.
Dorky's Arcade
754 Pacific Ave., 253-627-4156, dorkysarcade.com
Tuesday-Thursday: 3 p.m.-12 a.m., Friday-Saturday, 12 p.m.-2 a.m., Sunday 12 p.m.-12 a.m. Closed Mondays.
