Location offers activities in historic building

Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 14, 2026

PORT ANGELES — Some people complain there’s nothing to do in Port Angeles for youth and young adults. Erik Slater is working on changing that.

“I grew up here and the complaint was that there was nothing to do,” Slater said. “I want there to be things to do.”

Slater bought the Falls Building at 127 W. First St. in October and has been working to fill the tenant spaces.

“We want to make this a place where people want to spend time, not just do shopping and then leave,” he said.

With that goal in mind, Slater has his laser tag business, Redline Laser Tag, set up in the basement. Other businesses in the building are the Japenese-style karaoke bar Echo Neko which soft-opened last month; a table-top gaming club called D6 Arena; a custom plushies business called All Stuffed Up, which opened in December; and Studio 127 — formerly called Makeup by Min — which does high-end cosmetics and permanent jewelry along with photoshoots.

Slater graduated from Port Angeles High School in 1997 and then joined the Navy. He later joined the Army and then came back to Port Angeles in 2012.

“I always wanted to come back to Port Angeles,” he said. “I really love living here. It’s one of the few places where I can live next to the mountains and the water at the same time. It’s home.”

Slater’s decision to buy the Falls Building was completely off-the-cuff, he said.

“I was going down to the Elks to get an application to join and saw a sign that the building was for sale,” Slater said. “I went to look at it and it’s a nice building, but I didn’t think I could do much with it. Then I saw the underground parking area and it’s 4,000 square feet, almost the entire footprint of the building, and I’ve run laser tag in much smaller spaces.”

When Slater went home and told his wife about the building, she knew immediately what they would do with it, he said.

The Falls Building is 100 years old and is in good condition, but needs a lot of work.

“I’m going to need an electrician and probably carpenters but that’s all going to be contingent on getting funding together,” Slater said.

“I’ve never owned a building before. It’s been an adventure and it’s going to be for a while.”

Slater has looked into grants he could apply for but because he runs a for-profit business, he said there are not many he’s eligible for.

Despite the lack of funding and all of the work that needs to be done, the response from the community so far has been amazing, Slater said.

“This place has just lit up since this winter when we started,” he said. “All Stuffed Up was the first one to turn the lights on and that’s brought people into the building. The karaoke has really caught people’s attention. We’ve had people come in and ask about it. He’s had several bookings and return bookings.”

All of the tenant spaces are full, Slater said. Right now, he’s working on improving the basement for the laser tag business.

“I need to get electrical work done in the basement and then I can get it set up for occupancy and then once that’s done, I can begin constructing the arena in the space,” he said. “Right now, we’re using portable laser tag equipment like foldable walls. Until I can get the building ready for permanent structures, I’m going to be working with that, but I’ve been working with that for four years and it’s good enough. I don’t like sitting on good enough, though.”

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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.