building apart, upstairs they found a window from 1900,” Becky said.

Inside the wall behind the Pac Man and Cyclone games, another window and possibly a corner entrance were uncovered. Becky has a theory that the main entrance used to be in the northeast corner of the building. And in the basement, part of which is clay, she unearthed ancient mason jars, which now adorn her mantle at home.

The building has had a facelift, complete with new windows, new siding, new checkerboard flooring and carpet, new ceiling tiles, and a lot of paint, Becky said.

“I’ve put as much into the building as we bought it for,” Becky added.

Becky, a real estate agent and mother of one biological child, three stepchildren and several kids who have come into their lives in need of help, was inspired to open the pizza arcade because she wants kids to have a community place to go where they won’t get into trouble.

“There’s nothing in this town for kids to have somewhere to go all the time,” Becky said. “I just wanted to give them somewhere to go. Somewhere that’s not going to cost an arm and a leg.”

To keep things affordable for families, she’s trying to get more 25-cent games in the arcade. She also offers all students a 10 percent discount.

She wants her restaurant to be a community hub, where children feel safe and know they have someone trustworthy to talk to. With its checkerboard floor, arcade games dinging in the background, warm and inviting colors and ice cream freezer, it brings you back to the old days when neighborhood drug store/soda shops were common.

In fact, she has a loyal group of middle school boys who visit frequently. She allows them to hang out in the back party room and color on the dry-erase board.

“I tell them, I don’t care what you do and what you talk about,” Becky said. “I’m letting them know they’re safe here.”

Even when they drew something inappropriate on the board, she didn’t ban them from her store. Instead, with a smart comeback and a firm attitude, she let them know they’re welcome as long as they’re respectful.

“And I don’t want to see any bullying,” she said. “I was bullied as a kid and I won’t tolerate it. I just want kids to have somewhere to go to have some sanity.”

If that involves giving them cold water on a sweltering hot day, even if they don’t buy anything, so be it, she said.

While admittedly not licensed therapist, Becky said sometimes kids just need someone to talk to that’s not their parent. Coming from a blended family herself, she knows that can be difficult. One girl who confides in her has a tough family life; she said talking to Becky makes her feel better. It’s obvious Becky cares about the children in the community, as animated as she was when talking about them.

“It’s nice to talk to someone who can keep you straight,” Becky said. “I tell kids, you can give me a call.”

Common sense wisdom is what she delivers, along with homemade pizza.

“I believe firmly when you go somewhere to eat, you want your pizza to be full-flavored,” Becky said, switching gears from family to pizza. “You want toppings on every bite, not just a few here and there. You want everything spread all the way to the crust.”

In April, she hosted a tasting with five chefs, two “pizza snobs” (one from Chicago and one from St. Paul) and several others. They tasted several sauses and helped her decide on everything, from the cheese to the crust. She only uses fresh ingredients, because she hates food that tastes like it’s been in a freezer. She sources her meats from Sailer’s in Elmwood, Ptacek’s in Prescott and Pierce County Meats in Ellsworth.

“Response has been good,” Becky said. “And besides, when things are fresh, the flavor cooks into the sauce.”

Besides pizza, the restaurant offers appetizers, Dippin’ Dots and other treats.

Hours are currently 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Delivery begins at 4 p.m. You can order by calling 715-9415077.

Photo by Sarah Nigbor

Photo courtesy of Becky Kittelson

The Frogger pizza, featured at the Pizza Arcade in Ellsworth, is loaded with alfredo sauce, chicken, parmesan, mozzarella, garlic, herbs, mushrooms and feta.