The long-empty Fun Factory space at the Redondo Beach Pier is one step closer to new life after the city signed a tentative agreement with Multiverse Platforms, the company behind Level Up Bowl & Bistro in Rolling Hills Estates.
The deal, reported Monday, Aug. 10, by Easy Reader News, moves the project past the exclusive negotiating agreement the Redondo Beach City Council approved July 21 into a formal preliminary commitment. A final lease has not yet been executed.
If a lease is ultimately signed, the 123 International Boardwalk space would become a bowling alley, arcade, bistro-style restaurant and sports bar. The building has sat vacant since October 2019.
Level Up's existing location at The Avenues mall in Rolling Hills Estates features 14 bowling lanes, an arcade, Krazy Darts, immersive LED screens and a full-service restaurant with a bar.
A long road back
The Fun Factory opened in 1972 and for decades drew families with Skee-Ball alleys, classic arcade games and a Tilt-a-Whirl ride that spun riders for as little as 50 cents a ticket. Owner Steve Shoemaker ran the operation until it closed.
In 2017, the City Council had been set to buy the property back from Shoemaker for $9 million as part of a larger waterfront redevelopment that was ultimately blocked by court disputes. Those legal battles prevented the city from renegotiating lease terms at the time.
The council approved earthquake modifications and filled in the pit left by the Tilt-a-Whirl in 2024. Once that work wrapped in 2026, the city began seeking new tenants.
What comes next
The July 21 council vote passed on the consent calendar and gave city staff roughly three months to draft a formal lease, according to the Daily Breeze. That timeline would put a draft lease around late October.
The Fun Factory building was originally constructed as part of the pier parking structure and will require significant structural analysis before any redevelopment begins.
Mayor Jim Light wrote on Facebook the week of July 21, after the council approved the negotiating agreement, that he was "excited to bring something new, exciting, locally owned and family-oriented to this space."
Specific terms of the tentative agreement, including rent and lease length, have not been publicly released. A final lease would still require City Council approval.
South Bay community calendar
- Wednesday, Aug. 12: Volunteers prep 13 school gardens across Beach Cities
- Saturdays: Manhattan Beach farmers market, downtown on 13th Street
- Sundays: Redondo Beach farmers market, Veterans Park
