Kyaw Say, left, co-owner of Sushi Hikari, and Joel Shear, co-owner of LifeBar Arcade, discuss their plans to operate in the same building at 300 N. Fountain Ave. in Springfield. The businesses will open for customers around late September or early October, according to owners.
Joseph Cooke / Staff
A new arcade bar and a popular local sushi spot are teaming up to open a joint location near downtown Springfield this fall.
LifeBar Arcade, owned by Joel Shear, Blake Stilwell and Zac Johnston, and Sushi Hikari, owned bv May Moe and Kyaw (Jaw) Say, will open in late September or early October at 300 N. Fountain Ave.
Shear has known Stilwell since high school and met Johnston while working at the Market Bar inside COhatch years ago, which is also when he met Say and Moe.
Shear and Johnston initially planned to launch an apparel company, but they expanded their vision around Shear’s experience with cocktails and arcade games at COhatch. Drawing on his industry background, Stilwell was one of the first people Shear brought on board.
“We decided to bring all the ideas together and open a bar with craft cocktails, video games and our merchandise,” Shear said. “Between the three of us, our unique skill sets mesh so well together for doing a project like this, and our skill sets and our contact lists have gotten us where we are now and we make a great team.”
One day, Shear and Johnston came to Stilwell asking for advice on their business and business plan. He thought it was great and decided to help with the startup capital to get the business going and purchasing the building.
“I always say it’s the combination of forces that makes this really work … Our shortcomings are complemented by our strengths,” Stilwell said.
LifeBar Arcade co-owners Zac Johnston, Blake Stilwell and Joel Shear stand in the future location of their business at 300 N. Fountain Ave. on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Springfield. The arcade will open around late September or early October, according to the owners.
JOSEPH COOKE / STAFF
While Shear was working at COhatch, Say and Moe opened their sushi stand in 2021, shortly after the Market Bar’s launch. Two years later, the couple expanded their venture with the Fully Cooked Sushi Food Truck.
“We formed an immediate bond and friendship in that my cocktails and their sushi paired so well together,” Shear said. “When the opportunity came up for us to have a partnership, it was an immediate yes. A no-brainer that I wanted to bring back the wonderful vibe that we cultivated at COhatch of the collaboration that we had there.”
Moe said she and Shear have been longtime friends since his days working behind the bar, where Johnston was a regular customer.
“So, we collaborated together again. We always talked and one day we will be a combined food and drink (business) together (for the) next generation of Springfield,” she said.
Though Shear left COhatch years ago to focus on downtown revitalization, the opportunity to bring Sushi Hikari into the venture only recently came together.
“It makes everything twice as exciting now to be back together and doing this endeavor as a team,” he said.
“I think there was something very special about COhatch when it opened … it brought something magical to Springfield. Basically we’re seeing a little bit of that magic here. That’s why I was excited that (Moe) was coming because I feel that same sense of excitement,” Stilwell said.
From left: Sushi Hikari co-owners Kyaw Say, May Moe, and their son Aaron Say, 10, stand alongside LifeBar Arcade co-owners Joel Shear, Blake Stilwell, and Zac Johnston in their under-construction space at 300 N. Fountain Ave. in Springfield on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. Both businesses plan to open in late September or early October.
Joseph Cooke / Staff
For Johnston, the timing couldn’t have been better to pursue a passion project that helps elevate his hometown.
“We were excited to see things happening in Springfield, but disappointed that we weren’t seeing some of the things that you see in larger metropolitan areas, because really, Springfield has a lot to offer. There’s not any reason we shouldn’t be bringing people from Dayton and Columbus,” he said.
“But getting that kind of opportunity to invest in something where it’s like instead of complaining about things not being the way you want them to be or not having the things here that you like to have, you can kind of make that happen and in a way that the whole community gets to enjoy it,” he added.
The business has been a work in progress for over two years, and Shear said he doesn’t think people realize or understand the depth and scope of the work that’s been done in the building since they purchased it, including the installation of all-new electric, HVAC, plumbing, flooring and insulation, along with the removal of the drop ceiling.
The building was previously a pawn shop, and Stilwell said the inside looks “totally different than anybody who’d ever been in here would ever recognize it.” Because of that, Stilwell thinks many people don’t realize the building is there—though he hopes they won’t miss it now.
“This has been a labor of love though truly because this building is just amazing … We’re just really proud of what we’ve been able to do and going to do,” Johnston said.
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Beyond food from Sushi Hikari, the multi-use venue will serve craft cocktails alongside local, domestic, and imported beers. Guests can also look forward to vintage arcade classics ranging from “Centipede” to “Street Fighter,” two rentable golf simulator suites, private event spaces, and retail merchandise.
“A big thing for me is when you go to a cocktail bar is to be able to get a drink in a decent amount of time. We want to make sure that there’s a happy medium between getting a drink in a decent amount of time and also making sure that the drink is well done,” Stilwell said. “I think people will be very pleasantly surprised with the speed in which they get their drinks, the atmosphere and the quality of the drinks.”
After closing its Myers Market location on Aug. 25, Sushi Hikari will reopen at the new property next month — first serving from its food truck before moving indoors once the building officially opens.
Moe said they still wanted to be in the downtown area, where she knows customers enjoy her food, so reopening close to that is what’s best for them and the business. About 80% of the menu will remain the same, though Moe noted she continually adapts offerings based on market trends and customer preferences.
“Unity is key. Only with unity can development be achieved, so we will all work together in harmony and support each other,” she said.
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Say explained they are excited to move forward on a new venture with Shear and the other partners.
“We want to keep moving forward … Sushi HIkari (will) stay alive. My food truck is going to be here, and my wife and I are going to be serving our community here,” he said. “We want to do new big business here, new generation and new life here. We want to be thinking about our new adventure and new relationship with our partners.”
Following a soft opening period, Shear plans to operate seven days a week, keeping doors open late into the night. Expected daily hours are noon to 2 a.m. most days, with shorter Sunday hours from noon to 9 p.m.
The first half of the day will be for all ages and people under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. After 9 p.m., it will be ages 21 and up.
Shear said it’s a relief to finally be able to open their business soon.
“From the hunt for real estate to closing on the building to the demolition and renovation has now been an over-three-year process. With the help from donors, investors, family and friends, we are not finally getting close to the finish line and it makes me absolutely ecstatic to see the light at the end of the tunnel finally,” Shear said.
For more information about LifeBar Arcade, visit lifebararcade.com, and for information about Sushi Hikari, visit the business’s Facebook page.
Dining and Cooking