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“It just seemed kind of fun,” Kelly said. “And then looking around Janesville, there’s really not a lot for kids to do.”

It took five years, but that idea finally came to life with the opening in October of the city’s newest attraction: Goodtimes Clawcade, at 2612 E. Milwaukee St.

The family-friendly clawcade is packed wall-to-wall with claw machines, games, and bright plush prizes. It’s a place where kids, parents and even grandparents can play side by side.

Kelly and his business partner, Sharon Santos, said the response thus far has been overwhelming.

“Between you and me, we almost moved $1,000 worth of plush in the first week,” Kelly said “That’s a lot of stuffed animals sitting in kids’ arms.”

Unlike many modern arcades, the Clawcade is alcohol-free. Kelly said that choice was deliberate.

“I wanted something truly family-friendly,” he said. “I want grandma to be able to bring her grandkids in and not worry about anything else going on.”

That decision has paid off. While the space was designed with kids in mind, adults have embraced it just as enthusiastically, sometimes even more so.

“I’ve seen parents literally push their kids aside to get their turn,” Kelly said. “Adults are the ones with the money. The kids might have an allowance, but the parents? They want to win.”

Santos agreed that the cross-generational appeal has been one of the biggest surprises.

“We’ve had families come in just to compete with each other,” she said. “Mom versus dad, kids versus parents. Some don’t even keep the prizes; they just want to win.”

She said it has been wonderful watching the siblings win prizes for each other.

Goodtimes Clawcade currently features more than two dozen machines, stocked with plush animals, Pokémon cards, rubber ducks and novelty prizes. Certain items have proven unexpectedly popular.

“Pigs and cows,” Kelly said. “People love pigs and cows. Which is funny, because we’re surrounded by them here.”

What wins best is tracked and machines adjusted accordingly each week, with that still a learning process.

“We figure out what works, what doesn’t, and then we do it again somewhere else,” he said.

Future plans include adding air hockey, skill-based games, a snack bar with state fair–style mini donuts, birthday party rentals, school fundraisers and even sensory-friendly days with reduced lighting and sound.

Santos, who comes from a construction background, helped gut and remodel what was previously a tanning salon.

“It was rough,” she said. “Crappy carpet, exposed walls. We did a lot of the work ourselves.”

The result is a bright, welcoming space that reflects both of their personalities — Kelly the dreamer, Santos the organizer.

“It’s very yin and yang,” Kelly said.

Kelly, who also runs a bounce house rental business, says bringing joy to kids has always been at the heart of his work.

“With bounce houses, you’re the hero when you set them up,” he said. “Then you become the grim reaper of fun when you take them down.”

The clawcade solves that problem.

“We don’t have to take the fun away anymore,” he said.

Already, the space has produced its own small moments of magic: siblings trading prizes, kids saving quarters to play, and the occasional meltdown when it’s time to leave.

“I call it the Disney World effect,” Kelly said. “They’re just so overstimulated and happy, they don’t want to go back to reality.”

Looking ahead, Kelly and Santos hope to expand; possibly adding claw machines to local restaurants, creating a mobile arcade for events, and incorporating larger prize redemption with LEGO and collectibles.

For now, they’re focused on what’s right in front of them.

“It’s trial and error,” Santos said. “But people come in excited and they leave happy.”

“There’s so much crap going on in the world,” Kelly said. “It’s nice to have a place that’s just… fun.”