Lee Everett

December 26th, 2020 at 12:36 AM ^

https://www.facebook.com/111685072202955/posts/3773308676040558/?d=n

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

We are sorry to make this announcement today, but we must do what we must...

We have loved to be part of Michigan’s culture for nearly forty years and are doing our best to continue on, but now we are asking for you help!

Please share with all your friends and family, and we hope to see you all very soon! 
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-pinball-petes?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

 

(Pasted from Facebook)

Joined: 07/07/2016

MGoPoints: 1596

NYC Maize

December 26th, 2020 at 1:30 PM ^

I know that Barstool Sports is persona non grata here (for a lot of good reasons), but they have created a fund to help small businesses survive until the end of the COVID pandemic. As long as the small business keeps their employees on payroll, they are qualified to apply.  (https://www.barstoolsports.com/the-barstool-fund)

I don't know if anyone working at Pinball Pete's reads MgoBlog, but I figured it would be worth it to mention it just in case. I don't have Facebook, so I can't share it with them there. 

Joined: 01/15/2019

MGoPoints: 17

IYAOYAS

December 26th, 2020 at 12:45 AM ^

I spent a lot of time in there when I lived on S Forest. Too much time. There and Micky Rats. 

I never could figure out the business model though. Sitting on prime real estate and bringing in a buck here and there. 

Joined: 09/13/2018

MGoPoints: 3485

The Deer Hunter

December 26th, 2020 at 8:29 PM ^

As a pin head and collector, these machines are way to new and/or kept up, including LED conversion and updates, to not be a viable legit niche shop that is feeling the effect of 2020 . Just from the pics of the playfields I can tell these machines are shopped regularly and taken care of.The insinuation of this business is not legit is bullshit and irresponsible without any fact. 

Joined: 05/21/2020

MGoPoints: 3503

Qmatic

December 26th, 2020 at 1:45 AM ^

If there is one business where I spent a lot of time in my days at U-M that I would want to last, it would be Pinball Pete’s.

When I successfully completed my Thesis the place I went to celebrate was Pinball Pete’s.

My now wife of many years went to her first Michigan game with me when we had only been dating a couple of months. We drove to Ann Arbor and stayed at a friend of mine’s the night before. The first place I took her was Pinball Pete’s.

I had my bachelor party years ago in Ann Arbor and we finished the night at Pinball Pete’s.
 

Ann Arbor looks a lot different from when I was there, but I was happy that the little downstairs arcade gem had lasted.

Joined: 01/09/2013

MGoPoints: 32780

LSAClassOf2000

December 26th, 2020 at 8:07 AM ^

So many wasted hours at the pool tables there, but so much money won off unsuspecting out-of-town students who fell for the "Well, I've never played before..." routine, among other lies. I had my fun as an undergraduate, in other words.

It was a great place to kill time between classes, and to hang out in general. Sad to hear this news.

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 130636

WestQuad

December 26th, 2020 at 8:42 AM ^

I made one arcade game in my career a couple years ago and went to IAAPA a couple of times.  Family Entertainment Centers are an interesting business.  Some of them do very well, but the games themselves are all about redemption and not video games.   People are basically playing the ticket meta game rather than pac-man or mortal combat.  Group sales predominant and FEC’s usually have go karts, trampolines, climbing walls or other activities to attract people.  Stand-alone arcades have a hard-time.  Food sales make up over 50% of the profits and last I remember Pinball Pete’s didn’t have food.   The retail-apocalypse has been happening for years now and the amusement park location based entertainment was supposed to save malls, but COVID has decimated that concept at least in the short term.

Joined: 07/22/2011

MGoPoints: 31169

Perkis-Size Me

December 26th, 2020 at 8:46 AM ^

I went there maybe only once in my entire four years there, and I think it was just for a scavenger hunt. I’m quite amazed it’s lasted this long. Arcades just really aren’t a thing anymore. At least not like they were 20-25 years ago. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in favor of places going out of business and people losing their jobs, but I have to believe that if the owner of Pinball Pete’s wanted to sell the property, he or she could get quite the pretty penny in doing so. It’s in such a great location and there would have to be plenty of suitors dying to come in, buy that site for top dollar, and turn it into another student bar or good restaurant. 

Joined: 11/30/2011

MGoPoints: 105744

RGard

December 26th, 2020 at 9:17 AM ^

All the youngins posting here.  I do believe Pinball Pete's was originally Flipper McGee's, but moved to a different location.  My senior year at Michigan 1982-1983 I managed Flipper McGee's and the Crosseyed Moose for the lady who owned them.

 

Joined: 10/20/2014

MGoPoints: 57073

RGard

December 26th, 2020 at 11:00 AM ^

A friend of mine and I (I roomed with in the AXΣ house and he was later best man and my wedding) visited Ann Arbor the spring of 2000.  We walked down South U to see what was still there 17 years after we had left.  Found Pinball Pete's (where Flipper's used to be) but Pinball Pete's was closed.  I guess he had moved across the street by then.

We wandered into Orange Julius (or whatever business was there then) and asked about Flipper's and Pinball Pete's and the person working there had never heard of Flipper's but did proclaim Pinball Pete's as an institution in Ann Arbor.  16 years at that point would make it an 'institution', but boy did we feel old that day.

Joined: 10/20/2014

MGoPoints: 57073

WindyCityBlue

December 26th, 2020 at 9:24 AM ^

I probably went to PPs about 50 times as a student and had a blast every time I went there. I went mostly as a freshman because I had a tougher time than most finding a social scene early on, and just used PPs as a sanctuary.  I was in East Quad, so it was super convenient.

Not surprised to see it struggle, but I read that adult arcades, like a Dave and Busters, do pretty well (COVID caveats apply). Perhaps a rebrand for PP could work.

 

Joined: 07/23/2008

MGoPoints: 40771

Blue Me

December 26th, 2020 at 9:33 AM ^

A plan has been in the works to take the whole block east of East U down for quite a few years now. That includes the Brown Jug, too, but they had intended, anyway, to re-open after the rebuild. 

I'm not sure Pinball Pete's was ever going to survive that.

Joined: 02/17/2019

MGoPoints: -3001

An Angelo's Addict

December 26th, 2020 at 10:08 AM ^

I have some great memories going there as a kid. Now that I think of it though I don’t know if I actually went more than a couple times when I was actually in school on campus. Always think of it as a permanent fixture in AA :(

Joined: 07/12/2011

MGoPoints: 7982

Cope

December 26th, 2020 at 4:38 PM ^

For me, Pinball Pete’s was a favorite hangout as a high-schooler. I met girls there, learned how to flirt (and how not to), and had great times playing pool with high school friends. Definitely fun memories. 

Joined: 10/07/2010

MGoPoints: 2648