Shiesty Fun Zone brings unique feel to Abbotsford

By Neal Hogden

Spare change has use once again as Main Street in Abbotsford has a new addition that is sure to liven up nights and weekends for many in the area. Shiesty Fun Zone is an arcade and ice cream parlor that is primed to grow as the business ages.

The business is owned by Jose and Maria Carrera along with their 18-year-old son Jesus. The family originally owned ice cream shops in Marshfield but realized a majority of their customer base was coming from Abbotsford. They chose to move their ice cream shop closer to their client base and also added a new element to their business: an arcade.

The arcade and ice cream shop resides at 110 North First Street in Abbotsford at the old Ace Hardware store location. Jesus Carrera said they purchased the building and knew a lot of work had to go into it to make their dream business a reality.

“We spent late nights ripping out the tile flooring,” Carrera said. “We didn’t rent a special machine or anything so we were just using a blow torch and a scraper.”

The Carreras got to work, stripping the flooring out, painting a variety of murals on the walls and customizing the space to house a kitchen and paint ball alley. After months of work, the building was complete and a colorful mixture of lighting, paint and arcade games create a fun and exciting environment for kids of all ages.

The walls are now layered with six different murals to show the history of arcade games as well as characters from popular TV shows.

“We all helped paint,” Carrera said. “We spent a lot of time painting not thinking that we’d be covering the walls with machines.”

The space is right for all ages of kids as a play area for younger children is included. The Carreras also installed a birthday deck which is available for rent while families can enjoy a few hours of fun in the arcade. Also for rent are paint ball guns which can be used to hit targets in the Shiesty Fun Zone’s unique paint ball alley.

Although the ice cream equipment was transferred from Marshfield to Abbotsford, the arcade equipment was purchased or made by the Carreras. Using quarters, game players can earn tickets which are exchangeable for a litany of different prizes which include everything from stuffed animals to candy. Patrons can test their skills in Temple Run, Wheel of Fortune, Kung Fu Panda, basketball, Big Buck Hunter, Fast and the Furious and many other games.

Carrera admitted that one of the perks of owning and working at an arcade is he can play any of the games whenever he’d like.

Shiesty Fun Zone has over 20 flavors of ice cream that patrons can choose from, as well as a menu with traditional Hispanic recipes. Items such as fresas con crema (strawberries and cream), a popular dessert in Mexico, and piña colada, a popular smoothie-type drink which incorporates flavors of the original, Puerto Rican drink are for sale. Other sweet menu items include banana splits, crepes, mini pancakes, waffles with ice cream, piña loca and the mangonada.

Shiesty Fun Zone also offers snacks including a walking-taco style dish with nacho-flavored or traditional tortilla chips. Shiesty Fun Zone also offers full pizzas or slices of pizza, hot dogs, nachos, papa’s locas, elote (Mexican street

See SHIESTY FUN ZONE/ Page 8

WANNA PLAY A GAME? - Shiesty Fun Zone is an arcade, ice cream parlor, snack shack and more all rolled into one location. The business is located at 110 North First Street in Abbotsford and is run by the Carrera family.

STAFF PHOTO/NEAL HOGDEN Shiesty Fun Zone

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corn), hot Cheetos with cheese and bacon cheese fries.

Shiesty Fun Zone is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Since opening, Carrera said the family has already bought four new arcade games and he said he hopes to get even more.

“We have more room so our goal is to get more games for people to enjoy,” Carrera said.

The business gives kids something to do that is both enjoyable, yet safe on weekend nights but Carrera said the impact the business can have on the community is more than that.

“We found this to be an opportunity to bring something to the area that isn’t seen around here,” Carrera said. “We hope it serves as a nice addition to Abbotsford and the surrounding communities.”

Carrera said he is hopeful that schools will choose Shiesty Fun Zone as a place to go for a field trip or an incentive trip. He said the family is currently brainstorming different promotions they can create to help bring kids in to learn about the arcade.

To keep up with potential promotions, follow Shiesty Fun Zone on Facebook.

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD - Jesus Carrera and his father, Jose, built the box and gun setup for the game pictured at right. The duo also built the paint ball alley (left) next to a mural with the business’s name on it.

STAFF PHOTOS/NEAL HOGDEN

COLORS GALORE - This mural along with five others spruce up the arcade and restaurant. Pictured in the mural are some of the menu items Shiesty Fun Zone offers.