Family Fun: Greco Bros. amuses for 50 years

Poker tables. Pool tables. Darts. Foosball tables. If you're looking for fun, look no further than Greco Brothers. The family-owned business has been selling games for 50 years--and for the past 10 years, they've been doing it from their Central Avenue store.

Thomas Greco and his brother inherited the business from their parents. Initially, they sold the arcade equipment business to business, operating the business from a large warehouse, says Debbie Greco. But 10 years ago, they decided to purchase a showroom on Central, opening the business to families and individuals. Today the business specializes in family room equipment, and the store is packed with items--everything from pool cues to bar stools. A full-size pool table takes center stage, and one whole wall is covered with dart boards. The store even sells neon signs for man caves; of course, over the last year, people haven't been building man caves, or equipping family rooms.

"Business has been very bad the last year," says Greco. "People are not spending money on the extras." Greco says the recession has hit the amusement industry hard, and that the already-difficult task of running a business has been made that much more difficult. One of the big challenges has been finding and keeping help. Small businesses can only afford to pay employees so much, Greco says, and after a while, employees get frustrated. After losing a number of employees, the Grecos resorted to manning the front counter themselves, locking the front door so they can work in both the front and back of the store. "We can't afford to have someone just sit out and do nothing," Greco says.

Of course, summer is also a slow season. "You don't think about putting stuff inside your house in the winter," Greco says. The Grecos are looking forward to colder weather, and hope that the new year improves the economic outlook.