Cortland, NY
I actually have a pinball show at a gaming facility planned for next March but have no idea if it will be able to happen now due to covid.
Check it out: www.pinballooza.com
(Topic ID: 264119)
While not an arcade, I own fun slides carpet skatepark and family fun center. We have about 10 games in total. I purchased in July after the previous owner folded. We knew it would be a rough go but were pleasantly surprised by the support for the last several months.
Www.funslidespark.com
Our governor in PA closed us down until Jan 4th but im sure he will extend further.
We've been doing decent with online ticket pre-sales for when we open as gifts. Hopefully we can get back to rolling in mid Jan.
The pandemic has actually helped our "business". We're not a "REAL ARCADE" and don't depend solely on the arcade to generate revenue. We're able to offer our guests sole access to the private, free-play arcade with their paid overnight airbnb stay. They're the only people in the arcade while they're here. I clean every game between reservations. It is a total covid free and covid safe environment.
Quoted from d0n:The pandemic has actually helped our "business". We're not a "REAL ARCADE" and don't depend solely on the arcade to generate revenue. We're able to offer our guests sole access to the private, free-play arcade with their paid overnight airbnb stay. They're the only people in the arcade while they're here. I clean every game between reservations. It is a total covid free and covid safe environment.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1727430880742684
I went to watch your video but ended up watching the one below hehe 
But seriously that is one sweeet arcade id deffo choose that AirBNB over another because of that private arcade all day long lol.
pasted_image (resized).png
Quoted from russdx:I went to watch your video but ended up watching the one below hehe
But seriously that is one sweeet arcade id deffo choose that AirBNB over another because of that private arcade all day long lol.
[quoted image]
I want to see Troy fit through his door. Looks close.
Quoted from NicoVolta:Heck yeah, Oasis! I only wish mine was ready to go. Getting close... massive attic transformation.
If you do the "arcade" portion of the airbnb stay "up right", it can become a destination that you will be able to charge a lot more for than local airbnbs are charging for a simple bed/overnight stay.
I can't wait to see what you're doing!
Quoted from EJS:I want to see Troy fit through his door. Looks close.
He runs through that door! LOL But when people come that aren't into dogs, I put the dog door slider in and he can't get through. It took him just one time to make sure to check that the slider isn't in place before he goes plowing through it. LOL Doink!
Quoted from LTG:Looks like extended me ( SS Billiards ) to January 11th before I can reopen.
LTG
I would love for someone in this state to explain to me why a gym can be open on Saturday and you can't. 
Quoted from beergut666:I would love for someone in this state to explain to me why a gym can be open on Saturday and you can't.
Seriously? That's *CRAZY* it would be much easier for Lloyd to keep people safe vs. a gym! Unreal.
Quoted from beergut666:I would love for someone in this state to explain to me why a gym can be open on Saturday and you can't.
it is insane!
gyms of all places should be the last to be open
Heavy breathing, sweating and moist contact all over machines.
Get a few DDR, whack a mole, basket ball machines, skee ball your basically a gym any way 
those games can give you quite the work out also pinball is a finger gym! or maybe stick a tread mill under each machine?
Quoted from russdx:Get a few DDR, whack a mole, basket ball machines, skee ball your basically a gym any way those games can give you quite the work out also pinball is a finger gym! or maybe stick a tread mill under each machine?
There is a big Connect 4 game where you shoot a basketball into the column you want. It’s a lot of fun to play, probably costs a ton, and likely prints money. The rapid fire basketball games and skeeball also are always getting played at the Dave and Buster’s or Peter Piper Pizza’s. Some games are for suckers, but others are just straight up winners.
Years ago I was shocked to learn approximately 80% of D&B's revenue was due to ticket redemption. Basically, legal gambling + skill games.
Whip up a little economic uncertainty on people and they go absolutely bananas. Use this to your advantage, folks. People love it.
I don't solicit donations for the museum. Instead, I do drawings & give out prizes for completing certain challenges.
Gameify your whole brand, not just your games. See my avatar for reference. 
Quoted from NicoVolta:I don't solicit donations for the museum. Instead, I do drawings & give out prizes for completing certain challenges.
Gameify your whole brand, not just your games. See my avatar for reference.
So I don’t drag this too off topic, do you have a link to a thread or overview on this?
Quoted from desertT1:So I don’t drag this too off topic, do you have a link to a thread or overview on this?
Not yet. Hundreds of tabs open & constantly researching things like theme park economics and covid externalities. Hoping I'll have time to sit down and publish more video content later this year.
Best TLDR advice: Invent crazy new fun opportunities for people to win nice things (ideally with your branding on it). Take their pics & use as social media promotional content. Install a PA system and announce random challenges. I have a Safecracker machine loaded with custom minted RPM tokens... can't buy them, have to win them. Winners get posted on social media. And so forth. Keep your place alive and crackling with energy, random chance, unexpected twists and turns.
Quoted from desertT1:So I don’t drag this too off topic, do you have a link to a thread or overview on this?
More ideas: Build a gigantic Plinko machine with your logo on the puck. Every donation = one try. Also give every admission ticket one free try to get them started. Prizes can be branded coozies, stickers, bottle openers, mugs, tees, etc. Don't do lame things like a prize wheel. Invent something using pinball physics... that's the core of this hobby: Balls whizzing around hitting things.
Quoted from NicoVolta:Not yet. Hundreds of tabs open & constantly researching things like theme park economics and covid externalities. Hoping I'll have time to sit down and publish more video content later this year.
Best TLDR advice: Invent crazy new fun opportunities for people to win nice things (ideally with your branding on it). Take their pics & use as social media promotional content. Install a PA system and announce random challenges. I have a Safecracker machine loaded with custom minted RPM tokens... can't buy them, have to win them. Winners get posted on social media. And so forth. Keep your place alive and crackling with energy, random chance, unexpected twists and turns.
Token = free beer will be fun for Safecracker
Cool stuff. My location isn’t “my” location it’s a route location, so I’m not on-site at all times. I am there once a week to collect and repair, and used to be there for a weekly tournament.
My biggest issue has always been finding new players. I have a good small group of regulars, but my location gets no casual traffic, so I have to find them in other ways. Always happy to see other ideas.
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:Token = free beer will be fun for Safecracker
Electric Bat in Tempe AZ does this. They have tokens in the change machine for this.
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:Token = free beer will be fun for Safecracker
I wonder what the legalities of this would be. We can give away beer, but you can't legally win beer. But if you win a token with no cash value and exchange it for a beer... hmmmmm.
1 week later
I just posted the below on my page. I truly am happy that our performing arts and indie theaters may have a lifeline to stay open. But yeah, sour grapes here that we get boxed out of any of this relief funding. I think this once again proves the coinop industry just has terrible lobbying. While there ARE a few arcade venues that are listed as museums and even have non-profit status ( I was hoping Roanoke Pinball Museum might at least qualify), it would seem there is a tack on here that as part of being a museum you have to have a theater attached to show a video on I don't know what. Again fantastic news for many but can't help but feel somewhat deflated at the end of the year that we remain kicked to the curb again.
"There is a bit of good news to end the year. As you know your concerts, live venues, independent movie theaters, performing arts, museums, comedy clubs have all been severely hurting as they have been mostly shut down over the last year and struggling for survival. There is now $15B to help them out (targeted to small businesses less than 500 employees) with up to 6 months of lost income. It is great the arts community has been given a lifeline here, and many of these venues were on the brink of bankruptcy.
I would love to tell you that it includes other entertainment venues like arcades (where we are unfortunately 90% down in income year over year right now) .... but sadly it does not. My standard comment to people is that the only worse business to be in right now than running an arcade is running a movie theater. I am officially revising that list ... arcades now win as the worst business to be in in a pandemic.
However, this isn't a pity party and we are open this weekend, still committed to being the safest indoor space you will find in town. Come on by if you are looking for some family fun activity to engage in a safe way and help keep us limping along until the vaccine becomes more widely available and everyone feels more safe coming back. Here's to 2021 being a much better year than 2020 was."
https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Save-Our-Stages-Bill.pdf
Quoted from NicoVolta:I wonder what the legalities of this would be. We can give away beer, but you can't legally win beer. But if you win a token with no cash value and exchange it for a beer... hmmmmm.
the japanese pachinko places do something like that to have the prizes exchanged to cash.
Here in PA, it is legal for businesses to give away beer and you don't need a liquor license to do it. But it has to be free with no strings attached like "free with purchase" or they label you a speakeasy and fine and arrest you. They send undercover people out to verify that you are giving it away and carding everyone. (Apparently PA pays someone to go drink free beer)
I had one of my locations try this tactic to get people in the building. Every Sunday afternoon, they would get a keg of beer and turn on whatever sport was on that afternoon. As I carried my games out after they closed I truly wondered how bad you had to fail that even free beer couldn't get people in the building.
(disclaimer, it has been a few years, the laws may have changed since then, I am not a lawyer and check with local laws before trying it in your business and it may not help anyways)
Quoted from Joe_Blasi:the japanese pachinko places do something like that to have the prizes exchanged to cash.
Oy vey, Pooks.
We may get funding since we are actually a much larger arts & science foundation of which RPM is only a part. This was a big factor in my decision to move here after the pinball tour.
I may not have as much control as I would otherwise if I ran my own business... but the upside is the umbrella effect of a shared mission bringing people downtown to revitalize the area. When catastrophes happen like with COVID-19, the impact is shared rather than being a single knockout blow.
We will not only survive but grow to a whole new level after this is over. Count on it.
Pinball & arcades have never had a strong lobbying presence and have thus been frequent whipping boys for political sake or chronically overlooked when favors are given. It’s not right. Family amusement is a cornerstone of middle-class civic engagement... and too often taken for granted until it is gone.
Quoted from pookycade:I just posted the below on my page. I truly am happy that our performing arts and indie theaters may have a lifeline to stay open. But yeah, sour grapes here that we get boxed out of any of this relief funding. I think this once again proves the coinop industry just has terrible lobbying. While there ARE a few arcade venues that are listed as museums and even have non-profit status ( I was hoping Roanoke Pinball Museum might at least qualify), it would seem there is a tack on here that as part of being a museum you have to have a theater attached to show a video on I don't know what. Again fantastic news for many but can't help but feel somewhat deflated at the end of the year that we remain kicked to the curb again.
"There is a bit of good news to end the year. As you know your concerts, live venues, independent movie theaters, performing arts, museums, comedy clubs have all been severely hurting as they have been mostly shut down over the last year and struggling for survival. There is now $15B to help them out (targeted to small businesses less than 500 employees) with up to 6 months of lost income. It is great the arts community has been given a lifeline here, and many of these venues were on the brink of bankruptcy.
I would love to tell you that it includes other entertainment venues like arcades (where we are unfortunately 90% down in income year over year right now) .... but sadly it does not. My standard comment to people is that the only worse business to be in right now than running an arcade is running a movie theater. I am officially revising that list ... arcades now win as the worst business to be in in a pandemic.
However, this isn't a pity party and we are open this weekend, still committed to being the safest indoor space you will find in town. Come on by if you are looking for some family fun activity to engage in a safe way and help keep us limping along until the vaccine becomes more widely available and everyone feels more safe coming back. Here's to 2021 being a much better year than 2020 was."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/12/21/covid-19-relief-bill-how-save-our-stages-act-help-concert-venues/3989056001/
https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Save-Our-Stages-Bill.pdf
Can you tell me the name of your arcade in Charlottesville? I visit friends there from time to time and will definitely make time to come by and support as best I can. thanks and good luck.
Quoted from StoneyCreek:Can you tell me the name of your arcade in Charlottesville? I visit friends there from time to time and will definitely make time to come by and support as best I can. thanks and good luck.
Decades Arcade
Cool, outlaw private Club situations will become more commonplace if this shutdown continues. If there were such a place I could go and pay to play right now I wouldn't be writing this. Get ahead of the trend, or create a new one to generate income.
1 week later
Running an arcade is a funny business. I think I understand my customer and trends. I am here to tell you I do not. All of December we had $3200 revenue. Our rent is $2550, storage $875, and labor $1800. Yeah doesn’t add up does it? Every trend was in the wrong direction. I think $650 last week, $800 the week before. We’ve been making up the difference selling off about one extra arcade per week.
On Thursday nite we were at $40 for the week. But thru some miracle we ended up at $1350 for this week by the end of Sunday. Go figure. As I said I don’t get it, not one little bit. The only law I can count on is rain means more customers. Beyond that it’s random.
Our big accomplishment for the week was finally getting out of that extra $875 a month in storage.
Will we close ? Perhaps, temporarily. As long as my revenue stays above payroll I’ll keep the place open. If it dips below, really there is little logic to not hitting the pause button and just paying rent.
We shall see.
Quoted from pookycade:Running an arcade is a funny business. I think I understand my customer and trends. I am here to tell you I do not.
Up until my first closure in March last year. I had a good idea what to expect, and when. Patterns for holidays, weather, seasons, etc. etc.
3 months later when I reopened. I realized that over 47 years worth of experience went out the window. No rhyme or reason anymore.
Now tomorrow I'll find out if I can reopen again on January 11th. And after that what is all in store for me.
LTG : )
Quoted from LTG:Up until my first closure in March last year. I had a good idea what to expect, and when. Patterns for holidays, weather, seasons, etc. etc.
3 months later when I reopened. I realized that over 47 years worth of experience went out the window. No rhyme or reason anymore.
Now tomorrow I'll find out if I can reopen again on January 11th. And after that what is all in store for me.
LTG : )
I wish you all the luck I can send your way from here that you can reopen. I just had to witness another local arcade about 30 miles away go out of existence after 20 years. Mall they were in gave every tenant 30 days notice, including one restaurant that had just done a $100K reno. It wasn’t pretty.
As I’ve said all along I dabble at doing this. This is your livelihood. What’s happening to my arcade is annoying. What’s happening to yours is heartbreaking given everything you have put into this business for decades.
Since I’ve shared everything else, I might as well share this. If this is not the graph of what business was like for all of us in this industry in 2020 I don’t know what is. $300K projected revenue cratering to $80K, or discounting pre-pandemic revenue and going by current projections since July about $40K this year if nothing else changes.
There is only one word for this: OOF
Quoted from LTG:Now tomorrow I'll find out if I can reopen again on January 11th.
Looks like any announcement was pushed off until Wednesday at 2pm CST.
LTG : )
So our preliminary financials for 2020 are in... Revenue down approx. 45% from 2019. Gross Profit down approx. 65%. I haven't tallied all the expenses yet but I think we about broke even for the year. Our landlord reducing rent by 50% during the time that the entire county was in shut-down mode really helped... as well as a surge in business just this past weekend.
Not sure where this leaves us with this business longer term but for now, we'll just keep moving forward and hope for a better 2021.
(We're a small arcade with 25-30 machines...only 5 of which are pinball machines. Being able to do 100% of the repairs myself has been, and continues to be, a huge financial advantage for making this work. )
I also want to mention one other thing in this thread... one of the reasons we love this business is to see the amazing number of smiles and laughs our customers have in the arcade, especially the kids. It's really a fun place for kids and it brightens-up their day for sure to see the lights, rides, prizes and games. There's no other business in the farmers market where we operate that can claim to have non-stop cameras being used to photograph their time there like we have in our business. It's a cool part of operating this kind of business, vs selling cheese or cabbage or candles.
This thread has been incredibly enlightening. I appreciate the information provided here. I've never wanted to visit the local pinball spots more than I do right now.
Quoted from LTG:Great news. I can open again on Monday the 11th. Same restrictions as before the recent closing.
I am one happy camper !
LTG : )
That's great news! Will still be sending you some cash here in the near future anyway though. Probably after the 15th after I get paid and pay my current CC bill. I've decided I'm sending you any stimulus money I get from the government. I have been and continue to be employed with a very well paying job so I definitely do not need it and it should go to someone who does need it.
Quoted from pinball_ric:That's great news! Will still be sending you some cash here in the near future anyway though. Probably after the 15th after I get paid and pay my current CC bill. I've decided I'm sending you any stimulus money I get from the government. I have been and continue to be employed with a very well paying job so I definitely do not need it and it should go to someone who does need it.
I appreciate it. Just don't short yourself.
LTG : )
In minutes less than 12 hours I can reopen. Guidelines the same as went into effect two weeks before the last closing.
I'm excited to start a new season of pinball and pool.
With 617 days until my 50th Anniversary party. I hope this was the last closing. And with the vaccine rolling out. I hope we get COVID behind us.
Thank you all for the support and kind words !
LTG : )
Quoted from pinball_ric:That's great news! Will still be sending you some cash here in the near future anyway though. Probably after the 15th after I get paid and pay my current CC bill. I've decided I'm sending you any stimulus money I get from the government. I have been and continue to be employed with a very well paying job so I definitely do not need it and it should go to someone who does need it.
Let me just say Wow that is a sincerely stand up Wonderful thing to do! There are Many who were and continue to be Strongly hit by this shut down and seeing people like you take a stand to help others is just Dam Awesome. Good Karma to you always! There are Many in this thread we love to support and #LTG is for sure a Very deserving and wonderful person.
1 week later
Quoted from GGBGROUP:So our preliminary financials for 2020 are in... Revenue down approx. 45% from 2019. Gross Profit down approx. 65%. I haven't tallied all the expenses yet but I think we about broke even for the year. Our landlord reducing rent by 50% during the time that the entire county was in shut-down mode really helped... as well as a surge in business just this past weekend.
Not sure where this leaves us with this business longer term but for now, we'll just keep moving forward and hope for a better 2021.
(We're a small arcade with 25-30 machines...only 5 of which are pinball machines. Being able to do 100% of the repairs myself has been, and continues to be, a huge financial advantage for making this work. )
I also want to mention one other thing in this thread... one of the reasons we love this business is to see the amazing number of smiles and laughs our customers have in the arcade, especially the kids. It's really a fun place for kids and it brightens-up their day for sure to see the lights, rides, prizes and games. There's no other business in the farmers market where we operate that can claim to have non-stop cameras being used to photograph their time there like we have in our business. It's a cool part of operating this kind of business, vs selling cheese or cabbage or candles.
Fully agreed. I think anyone who does this, does it for the community. Our community is not quite ready to come back in full force. But my job is to keep us open long enough to give them a chance as things calm down eventually.
Some very mild inklings of hope here.
$4300 over the last 3 weekends which was significantly better than all of December. Yay ! I’m not gonna count that it holds, but I’ll take it for the positive it is and not get too overly optimistic here.
Vaccine is slowly rolling out in my community. And yes if wondering I got my second shot last Monday as a physician (and you should too when it’s your turn - benefit WAY outweighs any risk). Hugely thankful that I can see my elderly patients with a significantly reduced risk of infecting them unknowingly.
Even got 2 more games delivered that were bought pre-pandemic. What a journey that has been.
Stay safe everyone and keep helping your customers stay safe too.
Quoted from pookycade:Some very mild inklings of hope here.
$4300 over the last 3 weekends which was significantly better than all of December. Yay ! I’m not gonna count that it holds, but I’ll take it for the positive it is and not get too overly optimistic here.
Vaccine is slowly rolling out in my community. And yes if wondering I got my second shot last Monday as a physician (and you should too when it’s your turn - benefit WAY outweighs any risk). Hugely thankful that I can see my elderly patients with a significantly reduced risk of infecting them unknowingly.
Even got 2 more games delivered that were bought pre-pandemic. What a journey that has been.
Stay safe everyone and keep helping your customers stay safe too.
OMG, good news? In this thread? That's all amazing to hear. Fingers crossed for you and your community.
Quoted from LTG:In minutes less than 12 hours I can reopen. Guidelines the same as went into effect two weeks before the last closing.
I'm excited to start a new season of pinball and pool.
With 617 days until my 50th Anniversary party. I hope this was the last closing. And with the vaccine rolling out. I hope we get COVID behind us.
Thank you all for the support and kind words !
LTG : )
50 years dear god !
I quote this: “Overall, about two out of every three businesses with employees will last two years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. About half will last five years.”
That isn’t just a milestone, it’s like a 4 standard deviation above the mean milestone. And you’ve done it in a cyclical hobby business, no less.
I can’t possibly express how much I aspire to what you have accomplished here.
If there is any, and I mean any chance you might ever even remotely think you have to go out of business, please let me know. I will personally contribute whatever it takes to see that doesn’t happen and you see the 50th. I mean it. Seriously.
Quoted from cait001:OMG, good news? In this thread? That's all amazing to hear. Fingers crossed for you and your community.
We have the Deeproot thread to soak up all the negativity.
Quoted from pookycade:We have the Deeproot thread to soak up all the negativity.
And the Led Zep Hype thread...
As a location owner here in Australia, I have been following this thread with interest. After being closed since March last year, we were able to open early December (with lots of regulations in place). It was such a relief to see clientele and revenue levels bounce back so quick .... and the appreciation of the patrons is just overwhelming! I am so glad to have got through this (with no external help or 'go fund me' LOL) .... and as long as our state borders don't close again (like they did for most of last year) things are looking OK.
Although it wasn't easy (mentally and financially), we managed to give the place a complete revamp and the machines got a lot of attention .... so made good use of the down time I know a LOT of other locations have been doing the same....
To all the location owners and operators that are still struggling, hang in there .... it is worth the effort! .... sending positive thoughts your way!
And everyone else, as soon as your area allows, remember to go out and support public pinball locations ....
.....just thought I'd share another positive experience
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