THE CLAAAWWWW. No joke, there are 25 claw machines at Claw Kraze, a new business inside Oakwood Mall.

This is just like that scene in Toy Story when Buzz Lightyear goes into the claw machine at Pizza Planet and asks the alien toys who’s in charge, and they all point up and say in unison “the claaawwww.” Except that this new business’s claw machines are at the Oakwood Mall, and I don’t think there are any alien toys there right now. And they definitely don’t talk. But one thing’s for sure: the claw is the master.

In all seriousness, newly-opened small business Claw Kraze boasts 25 neon-lit claw machines with a variety of prizes up for grabs, if you’ve got the skill. Each machine takes one token to play – token pricing is $1 for one token; $5 for five tokens; $10 for 10 tokens; $20 for 23 tokens; $50 for 60 tokens; and $100 for 125 tokens – with the option to trade in the items you win for even bigger prizes held behind the front counter.

Claw Kraze’s grand opening was held on Saturday, March 1, hosted by the Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce. City Council President Emily Berge and Pa Thao, local small business owner and co-founder of The Black & Brown Womyn Coalition, Inc., also spoke before the ribbon cutting, noting their excitement for a new kids-focused business joining the area.

“I’m very happy that (you have opened) a business that really is for kids,” Thao said. “We need more of that in our community, and we need more positive places where our kids can go and have really good fun.” 

Zong and Pheng Vang said that sentiment is exactly why they decided to open Claw Kraze. With kids of their own – their daughter ideated the business’s name and the logo – they recognized the need for more places specifically for kids to hang out.

“Our vision for this place is really to create that space for parents to bring their kids,” Zong said. “We’re hoping that this place will be that safe space for kids to come hang out and not have to spend a lot of money.”

Prizes from the machines include small- to -medium-sized plushies – familiar Pokémon and Sanrio characters, Sonic, Mario, and more popular animated characters, colorful rubber ducks, and much more – with the option to trade in those prizes for the coveted behind-the-counter prizes. Those items include jumbo-sized plushies, Bricks mini figures of plants and animal characters, fishing lures, and more.

Loyalty cards and gift certificates are also available in-store, so shake out those old arcade machine skills and get at ‘er. Now, if someone will bring back Dance Dance Revolution…

Claw Kraze is open seven days a week and can be found near JCPenney’s at the Oakwood Mall (4800 Golf Rd., Eau Claire). Keep up with the small biz online to see the claw machines in action and learn about future updates.