By Kelly Doran
Sun staff

For Jonah Sandler, chief entertainment officer of Scene75 Entertainment, opening a second location in Miami Township is similar to returning home.

Sandler is a Sycamore High School graduate from the Montgomery area and was hoping to one day open a location near where he grew up. After searching for a place to expand to for a year and a half, Sandler found his location of choice at the former Kmart location on Old Business 28, he said.

Sandler wants to expand because of “passion for the industry, passion for the team and a desire to grow,” he said. He hopes that this is the first of many new locations, although opening a third location won’t happen for a few years, at least.

The new location will be very similar to Scene75’s current location in Dayton, but it will be 15-20 percent smaller, Sandler said. The new location will boast all the same attractions but a few will be scaled back because of space limitations.

Kmart left the location on Old Business 28 with a year or two left to pay on their lease, and the location has been available for five or six years, Township Administrator Larry Fronk said.

Fronk announced that Scene75 is opening a second location at the Feb. 17 trustees meeting.

Currently, the new location is in a basic demolition phase but work has yet to officially begin, Sandler said. Work will likely begin within a month and Scene75 will is expected to open during the summer.

The township location will be an $8-10 million project, Sandler said.

“We’re putting a lot at risk to make it happen but we have faith in the model, we have faith in the entertainment and the excitement it brings to the community,” Sandler said.

Scene75 is one of the largest indoor entertainment centers in the county, according to the website. The current location, in Dayton, offers a restaurant, bars, electric go-kart tracks, a gaming theater, laser tag, bumper cars, mini-bowling and more.

“The beauty of this facility and one of its unique features is we really have something for all ages,” Sandler said.

Scene75 draws several hundred thousand visitors every year, sometimes from far distances, Sandler said. He believes that it will attract other businesses to the area.

Scene75 is not just an entertainment business, however. Sandler tries to enrich the community as well by giving back.

“We really do a lot beyond putting the entertainment center together,” Sandler said.

Scene75 won the Brass Ring Award for public relations, given by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions because of the community approach, Sandler said.

Scene75 also won the Best of Ohio Magazine for family fun in 2014, Sandler said.