The four-story mill building on Plymouth Avenue in Fall River is home to several businesses, but Lazer Gate owner Kevin O’Hara is preparing for the worst as potential plans for a building renovation continue to tread along.

The Herald News reported last month that a limited liability company called Bravo Development LLC went before the Fall River Zoning Board of Appeals in October, which unanimously approved the request to convert the 190,000-square foot building into an indoor storage facility.

Since then, the businesses still operating in the building have been sitting ducks, but O’Hara isn’t ready to throw in the towel on his beloved attraction.

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“We knew the building was on the market," O'Hara said. "We’ve been looking (for a new location) since we knew this was a done deal."

Once O’Hara learned that the request was approved, it wasn’t a matter of closing up shop. It became, where can I move the shop to when the time comes?

O’Hara was a frequent gamer at Lazer Gate before becoming an owner. You could find him there two or three times a week. After working for a phone company for 11 years, he decided to call it quits and turn to the one business that never let him down: Lazer Gate.

“I started working there in 2008, and then took over in 2019 when the owner wanted to retire,” he said.

Lazer Gate is O’Hara’s pride and joy. It’s where his childhood memories live and where hours of his time were spent, on and off the clock. Children have been enjoying the place for decades, and he won’t let it disappear if he has any say left in it.

“It gives kids something to do that is involved. They can be social instead of texting each other, they can learn teamwork here," O'Hara said. "It’s active entertainment."

Not only is it a place for kids to have fun, O’Hara often employees young adults, so it becomes a great way for teens to gain work experience in a fun setting.

No date has been set on when the building will officially transform into a storage facility, but O’Hara is actively searching for a new home for his iconic attraction.

“The goal is to stay in Fall River because it’s always been a Fall River thing,” he said. Many of his employees walk, bike, or rideshare to work, and he hopes to accommodate his loyal staff with the future move.

The fate of the mill building at 288 Plymouth Avenue seems clear, leaving over a dozen businesses to relocate as soon as the shoe drops, but Fall River gamers can rest assured that O’Hara will look to keep Lazer Gate alive and well.

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