“This space has so much history,” says Jonathan Yeager, who is a partner in the venture along with Chris Trendler and Adam Ozimek. “It served as the armory and as a place to host dances and community events. We’re continuing the tradition of being a gathering space for the community.”
The mezzanine, which overlooks the full complex, is perfect for small wedding party gatherings. There are a variety of spaces at Decades that can hold 20 to 300+ guests for wedding events.
The three have known each other since childhood and, after graduating from Hempfield High School, they set off on different career paths that led to hospitality (Chris), graphic design (Jonathan) and economics (Adam). Their shared Interests in food, beer and wine prompted them to launch Joycat Events in 2012, with their first collaboration being the Lancaster Craft Beerfest in 2013. (it returned in 2024 after being sidelined due to Covid and construction in Ewell Plaza). Jonathan credits Adam for dreaming bigger and envisioning something with a bowling alley and retro arcade. That inspired the idea of building “a community space where people can come and play games and enjoy camaraderie and food,” Jonathan explains.
Six full-sized bowling lanes are complemented by a lounge area.
The trio looked at a potential space in 2016, but that didn’t work out. In 2017, they found the vacant Stahr Armory building on North Queen Street. The building, which had been constructed in two phases in the 1920s and ’30s, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Guard left the space in 2010, after which it served as the performance venue for Theater of the Seventh Sister for several years.
With its wide-open interior and soaring ceiling, the partners deemed it a perfect fit for their purposes and set about transforming it. Preserving original elements of the building was important, which is reflected In the wood flooring on the main level (once the armory’s gymnasium), as well as the tiles along the lower portion of the walls. Metalwork and other features were also preserved. “The historical aesthetic blended with our intentional designs makes it a great, elevated space for wedding events,” says Jonathan.
Decades boasts six full-size bowling lanes and a lounge area that can accommodate about 40 people. Bowling is $10 per person per hour, including shoes. The bowling lounge is a full-service area, so bowlers and their friends can enjoy food and drinks.
Wedding-related parties are a popular way to entertain guests before or after the main event.
There are also 40-plus retro arcade games, including four full-size Skee-Ball lanes (in keeping with the retro feel, wooden balls are used for Skee-Ball). For the comfort of guests, small drink stands, which were custom-made, are positioned near each game, as well as between the Skee-Ball lanes. Arcade games use Decades tokens, which are 25 cents (most games use one or two tokens).
The arcade lounge area also features casual seating in front of a fireplace (with a TV/N64 gaming console within the mantel), and at high-tops. A 44-foot bar and back bar that were custom-built for the space by Denver-based Bench Dogs, fills a side wall. To the rear of the space are two confined dining areas that seat 30 and 50 guests.
Props – including sparkling chandeliers – were procured from the Netflix show, House of Cards, when production ended.
If you’re a fan of the Netflix series, House of Cards, you may recognize a number of décor items from the show at Decades, including chandeliers, lighting above the bar and the bowling desk, the fireplace mantel in the arcade area and a telephone booth in the entry way. Jonathan reports that another high school friend was part of the House of Cards production team and when the show ended, set props, which were stored in a warehouse in Maryland, were slated to be sold at auction. Knowing his friends were in the process of launching Decades, he let them know about the treasure trove of items that was available. “We walked into this warehouse that was filled with items from the show and were able to find some things that worked for Decades,” Jonathan explains.
Besides bowling, Decades offers 45 retro arcade games, as well as Skee-Ball.
“Elevated casual” is Jonathan’s description of Decades’ food. “We try to be approachable. We focus on good quality ingredients, and the menu includes many house-made items.” Customer favorites include fried soft-pretzel bites, burgers (including the signature Decades Cheeseburger) and wings (available in 12 flavors). Other menu items include brisket fettuccini, Caesar salad, Decades cheesesteak, BBQ vegan chick’n sandwich and Decades tacos. Taste-tempting desserts are on rotation throughout the seasons, including brownies, cheesecakes and ice cream.
Crafted cocktails are a Decades’ specialty.
There’s a curated beer menu with 24 craft brews on tap. A variety of wines are available by the glass (6 oz. pour) or bottle. Decades also has an extensive craft-cocktail menu (with some tasty mocktails, too). Several of the cocktails are served in pouches. “We’ve had people describe the cocktail pouch as an ‘adult Capri Sun,’” Jonathan remarks. “It was created during Covid by our bar manager, when restrictions only allowed us to sell cocktails ‘to-go.’ After the restrictions were lifted, we liked the pouch idea, so we kept it for in-house sales. The pouches work really well for guests playing arcade games,” he adds.
Twenty-four craft beers are on tap.
Decades newest venture is the mezzanine, which was unveiled in January 2023, and provides a great overview of the space. It’s outfitted with foosball, air hockey and a retro arcade game or two, as well as a dining area.
Because of the expansive space Decades offers, Jonathan reports there have been as many as three events going on at the same time. The option to rent the entire space is also available. A catering menu is available for private events.
Decades has also been the scene of wedding proposals.
“We’ve hosted business events, birthday parties, bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinners and wedding after-parties. We’ve even had a wedding ceremony,” Jonathan says, noting that Decades is a “great ice-breaker place, which is really helpful for our events business.”
Jonathan reports that the partners aren’t quite finished providing Decades with amenities. Their next project entails transforming the front exterior of the building into an outdoor dining area (complete with games such as cornhole, of course.)
Having celebrated Decades’ fifth anniversary over the past year, the team is proud of the challenges they’ve overcome and the accomplishments they have achieved. “It truly does feel like a gathering space for anyone and everyone – friends, couples, first dates,” says sales and marketing manager, Tony Gorick. That sentiment was substantiated in October, when Chris and Jonathan accepted the 2024 Rising Star Award that is presented by the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association. The award honors emerging leaders in the hospitality and tourism industry who demonstrate “exceptional growth, notable industry involvement and strong leadership potential.”
Decades is located at 438 North Queen St., Lancaster. Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m.-12 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 12 p.m.-1 a.m. Sunday,12 p.m.-12 a.m. Take-out food is available and can be ordered via the website. Private parties and special events welcome. A catering menu is available. Call 717-282-1421 or visit decadeslancaster.com or Facebook.
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