This family-owned Fort Worth business plans to shut down after three decades
A 35-year-old local business is planning on closing its doors in August after years of construction on Keller Hicks Road stopped customers from visiting frequently, according to the owner.
Shannon Bell, the owner of Tornado Terry’s Family Amusement Center, located at 4530 Keller Hicks Road in Fort Worth, said she made the tough choice to close after losing business.
The center is packed with arcade games, air hockey and pool tables and has hosted school trips, church daycare outings and other community events.
Bell sounded the alarm in November 2025 about the impact the construction was having on her business.
Bell has been a police officer since 1997 and has been on leave since the passing of her husband. Terry Bell, the namesake and “heart” behind Tornado Terry’s, died in 2023 at the age of 63. He opened the amusement center in 1990.
Bell told the Star-Telegram that she is only taking in 45% of the profits she was making four years ago.
The $24 million project to improve the road will continue until at least spring 2027, according to the city’s project page.
“I have not had a personal paycheck since September,” Bell said. “I sold my ‘68 Camaro that my husband built for me, and that’s what I’ve been living off of.”
Bell said when the city first announced the project and had her sell some of the right of way on her property she was told that the city would run people westbound from Highway 377. She said the city later changed their mind after residents complained about not being able to get to 377.
“When they did that, because probably about 75% of my business comes from that way, it made it difficult for people to get here,” Bell said.
Bell said that Google Maps became an issue as well. She said the way the city had the road closures posted made Google Maps direct people to park at a nearby apartment complex, which she discovered after a customer brought up that he had to go move his car from the complex. She said she doesn’t know how many others that happened to.
The Star-Telegram reached out to the City of Fort Worth about the business closing and how the ongoing construction may have played a part.
The city said it understands that construction can impact business and that it has made an effort to help with access to the business while also keeping the safety of drivers, residents and customers in mind.
“The City has remained in regular contact with Ms. Bell throughout construction on Keller Hicks Road and have maintained access to her business, added supplemental signage, and addressed site‑specific needs as they’ve arisen,” Director of Transportation & Public Works Lauren Prieur said. “Paving on the north and center lanes is on track for completion in July, at which point traffic will shift and two‑way flow will resume as soon as it’s safe.”
To the Bell family, the amusement center was more than just a business; it was led by a passion for games and community building.
35 years of games
Bell said Terry built the arcade’s Dragon’s Lair game, changing the cabinet and game screen.
“He won first place in some competitions at the Texas Pinball Festival for a couple of years in a row,” Bell said. “What a lot of people don’t know about Dragon’s Lair is that the animator was Don Bluth” — who did animation work for Disney films like “Sleeping Beauty,” “Robin Hood,” “Pete’s Dragon” and “The Fox and the Hound” before founding his own studio.
Bell said that a friend went to a Fan Expo a couple of years ago and had Bluth sign the header from the Dragon’s Lair game, which is now displayed at the business, along with a picture of Terry playing Dragon’s Lair that he also signed.
Bell said that the family pioneered the free play arcade business model in 1990, all while not selling alcohol at the business like other entertainment centers.
“I have a lot of families who’ve got kids who are on the spectrum, and they get overwhelmed when they go to some of the larger places, like Main Event and Andretti’s,” Bell said. “Even though many of the games, with lights and sounds and things are the same, the space is not so overwhelming to them.”
Richard Bell, Terry’s son, said he spent so much a lot of time at the arcade, starting at the age of three or four when his family built out the building.
The family said Terry cared deeply about the games and the experience customers had at his namesake Tornado Terry’s.
“This was our livelihood, This is how he got his start 40 years prior, he saw how much money he was putting in the machines and kind of started small,” Richard said. “I feel like a lot of people have made lasting memories here with their family.”
One of those people is Josh Moore, a longtime Keller resident and customer who first started coming to Tornado Terry's at its old location across the tracks before the Keller Hicks Road location opened.
When the Star-Telegram visited Tornado Terry’s, Moore was playing a few rounds of pool, just like he used to with Terry and Richard back in the day. Moore was unaware of the pending closure, but had stopped by after a long absence. When Bell told him about her decision to close the center in August, Moore was saddened by the news, and reminisced about all the time he played pool and watched people play Dance Dance Revolution when it first came out.
“I still keep in contact with some of those people to this day, that had Terry’s not been here, I probably never would have had those relationships,” Moore said.
Bell said customers have until August 9 to spend their tickets and get prizes. There will also be an opportunity for customers to take part in online bidding on some of the games, and a livestream event on the last day of business includes a video tribute to Terry Bell by longtime friend Imran Acosta, the owner of Bidder Bros LLC.
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Moore said that he plans to keep coming back and play the games to support Tornado Terry’s until it closes.
“Having a small, family-owned business like this is critical, I think, for society,” Moore said. “It’s not a brand-name store that you walk into and get a bunch of employees that are there just to get a paycheck. At a place like this you have that opportunity to have friendships and meet the owners, and it’s part of the community. So unfortunately I think Keller and North Fort Worth are going to be missing out on not having that legacy around any longer.”