Quarters
Tucked away underneath the old University Square “mini-mall” downtown, Quarters was a beloved basement hangout for Clemson students in the 1980s. The name fit perfectly – Quarters was essentially an arcade-bar, packed with coin-operated video games, pinball machines, and pool tablestigernet.comtigernet.com. It actually occupied the cellar space that had once been Frodo’s Pizza (in the mini-mall on College Ave), and it transformed that spot into a gamers’ paradisefacebook.com. Students descended the steps into Quarters to challenge friends at Pac-Man or shoot billiards, all while enjoying cheap beer in a dim, nostalgic setting. The bar didn’t need flashy decor – the glow of arcade screens and the clack of pool balls gave Quarters its character. Many alumni recall it as the place to kill time between classes or unwind after a football game. It wasn’t uncommon to find a crowd around a popular game or to spend an entire roll of quarters in one night. Quarters truly embodied the arcade bar trend of the ’80s, providing a casual spot where town and gown intersected over games and drafts. Though the University Square mini-mall (and Quarters with it) eventually faded away, the legend of this underground arcade bar remains a fun chapter in Clemson’s social historytigernet.comtigernet.com.
