Scene75 Entertainment eying Miami Township site

Scene75 Entertainment, a Vandalia, Ohio company that bills itself as “the largest indoor entertainment center in the country” hopes to open a second location in Clermont County’s Miami Township by the end of the year.

Local officials confirmed Scene75 Entertainment plans to buy and renovate the vacant Kmart building on Old Business 28 after the company recently announced its expansion plans on its Facebook page.

“The township thinks this could be a catalyst for redevelopment of that (near-vacant) retail center,” Miami Township Administrator Larry Fronk said. “That center really needed something in there that would draw a lot of people, and Scene75 should do that.”

Fronk said operators hope to open Scene75’s second location sometime this summer, but don’t have an exact date.

Karl Schultz, vice chair of the Miami Township Board of Trustees, characterized Scene75 as “Dave & Buster’s on steroids” because of its size and the variety of activities it offers.

On its Facebook page, Scene75 Entertainment says its original location features a 150-seat restaurant, two full service bars, a snack bar, indoor electric go-kart tracks, an interactive gaming theater, multi-level Laser Tag, the Big Bad Bounce inflatable arena, a bumper car attraction, a black light mini golf course, a miniature bowling attraction, 4D theaters, and a Lazer Frenzy maze, as well as private party rooms, outdoor sand volleyball and bocce courts and an enormous patio.

The 124,000-square-foot facility just north of Dayton opened in July 2012 in a former furniture warehouse.

“Everything I hear about the one in Dayton is just phenomenal,” Fronk said. “People love it.”

On Scene75’s Facebook page, more than a dozen Greater Cincinnati residents expressed their enthusiasm about the company’s proposed expansion into Clermont County.

Fronk said the Miami Township building is smaller than the one up north, so company officials “are working on how they’re going to fit everything in there.”

“They want to offer the same attractions that they have in Dayton, but on a slightly smaller scale,” Fronk said.

Miami Township’s administrator said Scene75 draws from a large area. It offers corporate team building events and private parties, as well as catering to individual customers and families.

Schultz said the Kmart space has been vacant about five or six years. Before that, a Thriftway grocery was in the space now occupied by the adjacent Rainbow Swing Set Superstores.

“We’re quite pleased that businesses are looking at Miami Township,” Schultz said. “I do know that other communities were interested in luring (Scene75) to their communities.”

Schulz said millions of dollars of mostly federal and state funded road improvements that included the addition of a loop lane off Ohio 28 onto Interstate 275 and the reconfiguration of old Business 28 have eased congestion and improved access to that area, sparking developers’ interest.

“Developers won’t go where traffic can’t get on or off the interstate,” Schultz said. “They want to go where they have access.”

Jonah Sandler, Scene75’s CEO, could not be reached for comment. However, in a Jan. 9 Facebook post, he wrote: “As we approach the third anniversary of opening Scene75 for that very first time, I am pleased to share that we at Scene75 hope to open a second location late this year. We have identified an opportunity in Cincinnati (Milford) that we believe meets our growth objectives and that of the community. We are now completing the due diligence process to ensure that the site fully meets our needs. Details will come at a future date…”

Thank you to Cindy Schroeder for this article on the growth of Scene75 Entertainment Center!