MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - Abandoned. For lease. Available. These are the storefronts of numerous buildings located in Meridian Township. Silence fills the walls of these once thriving businesses as they await new tenants to bring them back to life.

One empty storefront will soon buzz with the sounds of electric motors and arcade games as High Caliber Karting and Entertainment prepares to make its debut.

It’s 79,000 square feet and there’s a lot to look forward to.

“We’re going to have electric go-karts that go up to 50 miles an hour,” said General Manager Zach Bingham. “We’re going to have two separate tracks. One’s going to be more of a longer track that’s going to be for more high speed, and the other one’s going to be for more agility.”

Because the go-karts are electric, people won’t have to worry about ingesting fumes. The employees can also adjust the speed of the go-karts using a remote control with four levels: levels one and two for children as young as eight years old and levels three and four for older children and adults.

The entertainment facility will also have axe throwing, pocket soccer (often called snookball, which is a combination of pool and soccer), a bar and bistro, state-of-the-art race simulators and 30 arcade games. The goal of this company is to bring entertainment and joy to people.

“There’s really just not that much to offer as far as entertainment,” Bingham said. “We’re really looking forward to having an amazing place for people to come and hang out and have an absolutely amazing, fun time.”

“I seriously want people to just come have fun,” said President Jordan Munsters. “Joy is that experience of when you walk away, you went to a different world; you have a different perspective on life.”

Munsters said human connections are “getting missed” because of technology and social media.

“When you create that connection with somebody, you feel like a different person and you have a whole new appreciation for life,” Munsters said. “I know that might seem ridiculous to think that we’re going to do that with a go-kart track, but it’s a start. We have these different entertainment offerings, everything’s catered to make it so it’s a competition and it’s exciting and it’s something that gets people together, so when they walk away they put their phone down, they’re not checking it and seeing what messages are going on, they’re doing something with their friends and remembering what it is to be a human.”