Arcade Closes, Makes Way For New Owners at Wildwood Mall

A landmark property on the Wildwood Boardwalk is going through a transition as the new owners take over and expand its business.

The arcade in Wildwood Mall held a clean-out sale over the weekend, unloading skee ball games, air hockey tables, and more as they cleared out of their leased space in the mall.

The Boardwalk Mall, located between Mariner’s Pier and Adventure Pier at 3800 Boardwalk, was sold this summer to Capt’n Jack’s Island Grill. Capt'n Jack's opened a second location in the Wildwood Mall in 2020.

The original Capt'n Jack's Island Grill at 27th and the Boardwalk sold the first alcohol ever served on the Boardwalk when Wildwood changed the ordinance to allow alcohol back in 2010.

Owned by brothers Sean and EJ Dougherty, Capt'n Jack's is now interested in increasing the space of their much smaller second location, and they are taking over the arcade space and other businesses on the first level of Wildwood Mall.

The brothers and their partners also own Papi’s Taco’s on the Wildwood Boardwalk, the AGAVE Tequila Bar and Harbor Burger Bar in Stone Harbor, and Nucky’s Kitchen & Speakeasy in Ventnor.

The news that the arcade in the Wildwood Mall was closing hit many boardwalk fans hard. There had been an arcade of some sort in the mall for years and many people remember playing the games and spending their teenage summers hanging out in the mall's arcade.

The outgoing owners of the Wildwood Mall Arcade took a more business-like approach to the closing saying in Facebook posts that the new owners needed the space and sometimes change was good.

Capt'n Jack's Island Grill is a beach-themed restaurant and bar that offers live music and beach games in their original location and appears interested in following that model in the Wildwood Mall location.

It's not clear yet which other Wildwood Mall stores will be staying in the mall and which will be closing.