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Modern Pinball NYC Opens with New Arcade Business Model

Posted in Amusement Game, News, tagged Modern Pinball NYC, pinball, pinball machine, pinball tournament, Steve Epstein, Steve Zahler on November 15, 2013| 3 Comments »

Just Opened: Modern Pinball NYC on Third Avenue at 27th Street in Manhattan. November 10, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita

This weekend, Modern Pinball NYC, a new destination for pinball enthusiasts in Manhattan, will celebrate its grand opening with a couple of tournaments, including a Saturday benefit for the Food Bank for New York City. Located on Third Avenue at 26th Street, the pinball machine retailer and interactive showroom is a brand-new business model for the arcade, which outside of amusement parks is a vanishing breed.

Metallica, Star Trek and The Wizard of Oz Pinball Machines at Modern Pinball. November 10, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita

Instead of paying per game at Modern Pinball, players buy time– $7.50 for a half hour, $10 for an hour, and $20 to play all day. The bonus is that whatever you spend can be applied to the future purchase of a pinball machine. The 30 machines currently at Modern Pinball range from beautifully refurbished games from the 1990s like The Addams Family, Fun House and Dr Dude to new titles from Stern and Jersey Jack Pinball.

Playing The Wizard of OZ by Jersey Jack Pinball at Modern Pinball. November 10, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita

When ATZ stopped by on Tuesday evening, we met pinball veterans who’d already made the place part of their schedule and passersby of all ages stopping to check it out. “It’s great family entertainment,” says co-owner Steve Zahler, who has fond memories of growing up playing pinball in the 1970s, when the games were everywhere–restaurants, skating rinks and Main Street arcades.

“Not like nowadays, when they’re mostly in bars,” says Zahler. “That’s why I didn’t want alcohol to be part of this business because I want to help bring pinball back.” His daughter and son, who are 6 and 9, are turning out to be pinball whizzes, but they’re lucky to have several machines at home. Zahler wanted to open a place where kids could play pinball with their friends and family, just as as he did growing up. Birthday parties and special event packages are among Modern Pinball’s offerings.

Steve Zahler, Modern Pinball’s co-owner, is the #1 Ranked Pinball Player in New York and New Jersey. November 10, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita

Players are encouraged to ask the staff, who include high-ranking tournament players and pinball enthusiasts, for tips and strategies. We were wowed to find out Zahler is the No. 1 ranked player in New York and New Jersey, 14th in the country and 27th in the world out of 21,000 tournament players! Steve Epstein, his partner at Modern Pinball is the co-founder of both the International Flipper Pinball Assn. (IFPA) and Professional and Amateur Pinball Assn.(PAPA) with Roger Sharpe. “We share the same philosophy about business, pinball and promotion,” says Zahler. “We have the same deep passion for pinball.”

AC/DC ‘Let There Be Rock’ Limited Edition at Modern Pinball. November 10, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita

With Modern Pinball, Epstein, who was the owner/operator of the Broadway Arcade aka “The Pinball Capital of the World” until it closed in 1996, is back in business. The place was legendary and is much missed. According to a 1985 article from the Times, Lou Reed held his wedding reception at Broadway Arcade, and Broadway stars, cast members and members of orchestras ran in during breaks between performances and during intermissions. At Modern Pinball, we met one of those musicians, a French horn player named Michael, who was ecstatic to have a place to play again. “I haven’t played pinball in 15 years,” he said.

Modern Pinball NYC, 362 Third Avenue (between 26th & 27th Streets), New York, NY 10016. Phone 646 415-8440. Winter Hours: Open 7 days a week from 11AM to midnight, till 2AM on Thu, Fri and Sat.

Modern Pinball, November 10, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita

Traveler: National Pinball Museum to Open in Baltimore

Posted in Amusement Game, News, Travel, tagged Baltimore, David Silverman, Games, museum, National Pinball Museum, pinball, pinball game, pinball machine on January 4, 2012| 2 Comments »

National Pinball Museum Set to Open in Baltimore on January 14. NPM Photo

Last summer, Washington’s D.C.’s National Pinball Museum invited pinball fans to “come out and play until the flippers fall off” after losing their lease at a Georgetown shopping mall. Now the relocated museum is set to open in downtown Baltimore on January 14.

Pinball collector David Silverman’s 12,000-square-foot museum houses a collection of over 100 pinball machines, including a 19th century pinball precursor, vintage woodrail games and modern, solid-state machines.

“Education is a big part of the museum,” says Silverman, whose background is in art, education, and landscape design. Over the past 30 years, he has amassed a collection of more than 800 pinball machines. The Museum was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1998. “We have a walk-through exhibit of different types of games, so people can get a sense of pinball’s rich history,” the collector told ATZ.

Exhibit at National Pinball Museum. NPM Photo

There’s also a “Pinhead Gallery” where visitors can play up to 40 machines. Admission tickets include full access to the exhibits and range from “Special When Lit” with unlimited play for $13 to “Replay” featuring two hours of play. The museum is currently offering 35% off admission and annual passes if purchased by January 13. Regular hours of operation will be posted on the museum’s website and Facebook page.

National Pinball Museum, 608 Water Street, Baltimore, 21202. Phone 443-438-1236

UPDATE March 4, 2013:

The National Pinball Museum closed its doors on March 3, 2013. A statement issued by the museum’s founder and executive director David Silverman said: “After such a successful year, everyone at the Museum was looking forward to continuing our tournaments, educational programs and interactive exhibits in our current location for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to negotiate favorable terms with our landlord to extend our rental agreement without creating an extreme financial strain on the Museum’s limited resources.”

Pinhead Gallery at National Pinball Museum. January 2012. NPM Photo

Games: Where You Can Play Vintage Pinball Year Round

Posted in Amusement Game, tagged Games Magazine, Gottlieb, pinball, Pinball Hall of Fame, Silver Ball Pinball Museum on August 15, 2011| 7 Comments »

Back in May, I visited Asbury Park on assignment for Games Magazine to write a feature on the Silver Ball Museum Arcade and Pinball Hall of Fame. This year-round mecca for pinball wizards and wannabes is a great day trip via NJ Transit from Penn Station. A $20 wristband lets you play all day. Silver Ball is quite a playground, with 200 lovingly restored machines from the electromechanical wonders of the 1930s and ’40s up to the solid state electronic games of today. The little boy in the photo is playing Gottlieb’s Flipper Parade, a 1961 add-a-ball game featuring pop bumpers, slingshots, gobble holes and an animated cannon that fires a ball when a free shot is made. My article on Silver Ball and other places where you can play vintage pinball year round is published in the October 2011 issue of Games (on sale through September 12).