Journalism editors visit new family entertainment center
As my middle school friends and I walked to and from Juice Stop, terrorized Dillons and hung out for hours in the booths of McDonald’s, our conversations always touched on
the fact that Lawrence needed more things to do. Four years later, Lawrence has gotten an addition that is truly a step in the right direction toward universal entertainment: Epic Fun. Located in The Malls Shopping Center on 23rd and Louisiana Streets, the new family fun center is a destination suitable for all ages of Lawrence residents.
When eight Free Press and Talon editors and I walked into Epic at 7:45 p.m. on a Friday night, we were greeted by a kind front desk attendant, the sound of arcade games and friendly competition and a sweet puppy sitting behind the counter. For $6 and tax each, we were signed up to play the next round of laser tag in Epic’s 4,000 square foot arena. We signed waivers and sat at a side table, waiting for our round to start.
While arcades are generally fun and family orientated, Epic brought that to a new level, with a two simple marketing techniques. The first is that instead of a coin or token system, everything at Epic is purchased in time increments designated by wrist bands. The cost is $6 for the first hour and $3 for consecutive hours. The whining that nearly always accompanies arcade tokens is eliminated. The second was the lighting. The lobby was well lit and removed the typical dark and dinginess of arcades. These two simple fixes made the general atmosphere seem far more upbeat.
‘Cleanliness’ and ‘arcades’ generally aren’t associated with one another. At Epic, however, this is not the case. The tables and chairs we sat at weren’t sticky or crummy. The floors looked well kept, and the bathrooms were spotless. While these seem like minor details, they show how invested Epic owners and employees are, and there truly is nothing like a clean public bathroom.
After waiting 25 minutes for our session to start, we heard the announcement that it was time, and filed into a room for briefing and gear administration. When we stepped in, we met our foes, a tennis academy team. With 30 laser tag vests available, we broke up into teams of roughly 15 and 15 and watched a five minute instructional video about the arena. An Epic employee helped us with vests, video and within the arena. We entered and played two, 10 minute games, in both of which we were annihilated.
Overall Epic truly was Epic. Clean, friendly, fun and well-priced, this new attraction should bode well in LFK. Whether an elementary school birthday party or KU students parting with the Hawk for a night, Epic suits all ages and genders.
