For Davin Ruzina, the 814 Lanes & Games in Hempfield opened its doors for business just in time.

Ruzina, of Hunker, celebrated his 13th birthday Saturday and went to the new entertainment venue with his family and friends Sunday. Bowling and laser tag were the highlights of their day.

“We were looking for a laser tag (place) close to here,” said Ruzina’s mother, Tricia.

“It’s really neat here,” she said. “It’s homey. You can hang out for a while. We needed something like this around here.”

814 Lanes & Games has a location in Johnstown. The owners announced last year they would open a second venue at the former Shop’n Save property on Route 136 in Hempfield.

The grocery store closed in 2014 and the 44,000-square-foot building had remained vacant. It was sold to Greensburg Entertainment Realty for $1.7 million in August 2022.

The Hempfield venue, which held a soft opening Thursday, features bowling lanes, an arcade, an escape room, ax throwing, laser tag and sports simulators. Food and drinks are available at its attached restaurant and bar, Bites and Brews. It also includes a VIP bowling area that can fit about 100 people and four meeting rooms that hold about 24 people each.

The turnout for the first few days has been strong, co-owner Bobby Hogue said.

“It’s awesome seeing the community here,” said Hogue, of Penn Township. “Obviously, with anything new, there’s some bugs that we’re working out … but we’ve been getting better every day.”

Max Voyda, who celebrated his 17th birthday at the venue, got to experience a little bit of everything. He and a group of his friends tested out the sports simulator — which features golf, hockey, baseball, basketball and football.

“(The venue) has to be great for the community,” said Voyda’s mother, Kristie, of Homer City. “It gives the kids somewhere to go, and there’s a lot of different opportunities to play, especially in the winter months.”

“It’s an ageless thing,” Kristie said, pointing to the father of Voyda’s friend, who was practicing his golf swing with the simulator.

Madelyn Carter appreciates the venue’s proximity to her Greensburg home.

“It’s my boyfriend’s birthday today and we were going to go to the (814 Lanes & Games) in Johnstown, which is far away,” she said. “It’s cool to have something like this somewhere that’s not Pittsburgh.”