The long row of parked bikes was a clear sign that Game Cave Arcade was in business on Snoqualmie Ridge.

Game Cave opened Thursday, Feb. 25, at suite 180 in the Ridge Marketplace on Center Boulevard. Since opening, youngsters — and adults who never outgrew Donkey Kong and Centipede — from the Ridge and beyond have been lining up, quarters in hand, for a crack at the action.

Young entrepreneurs

The business is owned by Brad and Jen Oberlander, who also run Gateway Gas and Deli and Uncorked Wine Bar. But their two boys, 17-year-old Cody and 13-year-old Tyler, are the proprietors.

The brothers run the store, and once a loan to their parents is paid off, the profits are theirs.

“Obviously, some of that goes to college,” Cody said.

An adult employee is always on site, but Cody and Tyler count the till daily, make sure the machines are running smoothly and ensure customers are satisfied.

“We’ll get their name, get to know them and become friends with them,” Cody said.

Cody is doing Running Start classes through Bellevue Community College, as well as his high school work. Tyler is homeschooled. The boys must balance homework with their work duties. That means late nights for Cody, and time spent doing homework at the arcade for Tyler.

“If it’s really dead, I like to play some games,” Tyler said. “I’m still a kid, so it’s still fun for me.”

The boys realize that they are learning valuable skills in business: how to deal with employees, and how to make and keep repeat customers.

Their parents made the boys read the entire lease and meet with the property manager.

“Not many kids get this opportunity,” Tyler said. “I’m excited that my parents are helping me through this, and showing us how to run a business.”

As brothers, there were times they might squabble.

“Now that you’re business partners, you have to work together,” Cody said.

New turn

Most games cost 50 cents, with older games going for 25 cents.

“Cheap, fun entertainment,” Jen Oberlander said, describing the product.

If younger customers are having to struggle with a game, “we can help and guide them with it,” Cody said.

On opening weekend, the arcade was extremely busy.

“We had kids waiting a half hour before we opened,” Cody said. “They’re obviously excited, and we’re excited.”

The Oberlanders purchased the game machines, which range in price from $500 to $2,500. If a machine isn’t selling well, the boys will replace it.

The wide variety of machines run the gamut from dancing games and old-school pinball to driving, hunting and action games.

One small girl frequents the air hockey table and challenges Cody or Tyler to play.

“Parents will hold up tiny little kids, teaching them how to play pinball,” Jen Oberlander said. “It’s great to see families having fun together, see the dad with Centipede, saying, ‘Oh man, this takes me back to my good old days.’”

Children sometimes look at the pinball game and tell their parents, “That is so old school.”

“But I tell you, the kids line up,” Oberlander said.

The boys dreamed up the venture last summer, after noticing how popular such games are at area restaurants. They started the arcade as a new place for children to have fun.

Oberlander said she’s heard that a lot of the neighborhood children are pushing hard for extra chores to do at home.

“They’ve got an incentive to get some money and come down here,” she said.

Besides the new bike rack, more game machines are coming, as are black lights.

The Oberlanders will allow families to rent the facility for an hour or more, allowing patrons free rein and plenty of quarters. They are also offering gift cards.