[FSPA] Update on Mighty Mikes alternative venue

Mon Aug 21 16:28:47 EDT 2017

Thank you Ken, and yeah it is crazy all the details and work that goes on behind the scenes to get pinball accounts and/or a Pincade started.  Most establishments unfortunately still see pinball as a "tacky" or "bad-boy" thing, or a "washed-up" game ...been battling these misconceptions forever it seems.  And the places or landlords that see pinball for what it is today, simply don't have the room.  And thanks to all the FSPA'ers that eMailed me off-line to offer suggestions, etc. since my update.  Good luck to everybody at tonight's Summer finals match!   -Roland   

-----Original Message-----
From: Kendall Van Pool via FSPA <fspa at fspazone.org>
To: FSPA main discussion list <fspa at fspazone.org>
Cc: Kendall Van Pool <kendallvanpool at gmail.com>
Sent: Mon, Aug 21, 2017 4:08 pm
Subject: Re: [FSPA] Update on Mighty Mikes alternative venue

I'm just here to say thanks for the updates Roland and your work on trying to find a spot.  I'm am further south and probably wouldn't play there, but I'm encouraged to see you really working this.  This community is finicky and sometimes a bit crazy, but I think it is because we all love the game.  So Thanks From Me.

On Thu, Aug 17, 2017 at 5:09 PM, kimbrennan--- via FSPA <fspa at fspazone.org> wrote:

Regarding Old Ox brewery. A couple of years ago we did an indoor (disc golf) putting league there (winter time only). Not a great spot. Not a lot of space, no food options and over all just only had location as a selling point. We tried it again the following year and ended up double booked with a botchie ball group. Pass.

Sent from my iPad

On Aug 17, 2017, at 4:35 PM, Roland Joyal via FSPA <fspa at fspazone.org> wrote:

Hi All-  Just thought I would give everybody an update on my efforts since MM's abruptly closed (right after I purchased a new GB and JL pins, grrrrr) and the outcome of some FSPA member's suggestions. 

As far as a Pincade in Herndon that I mentioned a couple months ago, when I asked for volunteers to help man it (and got several pinheads interested, thank you), I went and told the property owner I would be willing to take a portion of the space he offered and am ready to sign a lease.  I agreed to it costing me $20,000 - $30,000 to fit up the space, and was willing to do that if I can get a league long term commitment it would eventually be paid off in the long tern by coin drop ...and yes i realize it will take a LOT of coin drop! lol. 

Well, instead of the owner jumping on it, he wanted to "mull it around".  This was not a good sign, as a few months ago he offered the space (it has been vacant for a decade) and it was just a matter of how much space I needed, but there was not a scenario where he would not rent it.  Now he has come back, after him abruptly putting off several missed appointments, and said he just can't rent it, he needs the space for more of his own company's current usage. So I kept trying and met with him the other day again, and I even offered him a "bonus" $5K as an incentive to pay for any inconvenience of moving his stuff out.  He is going to think about it some more.  

Concerning FSPA member's suggestions for locations.  I actually acted on your suggestions.  Someone suggested the Wing place in Sterling and the vacant commercial spot in the nearby shopping center.   The Wing place is a chain, so that is not going to work as corporate places do not stray from their main mission and image.  Plus they already have an operator.  I researched the suggested vacant spot in the  nearby shopping center and have discovered it is not zoned appropriately. 

What most people don't realize when they see all these vacant spots in strip malls or industrial parks, etc,that no matter how run down or new, these places simply aren't zoned for a pinball/video arcade.  You just cant rent a spot and stick pinball machines in it, that is not the way things work.  In fact, it is next to impossible to find one that is zoned for amusement arcade, in Fairfax or Loudoun counties anyway.  Trust me I have been looking for a long time, a couple years.  And Fairfax county wants a crazy $14,000 just to get a variance (on paper), and even at that, there are no guarantees, you have to go thru a horrible time consuming process and board meetings.  

Mustang Sally's in Chantilly was suggested (although not sure if it is close enough to the end of Fairfax and Loudoun counties like MM's was) .  I have been in negotiations with the manager and marketing manager, and they are "thinking about it".  They have a HUGE amount of space, and 2 pinballs now.  But they even said "not sure about the space".  I was thinking WTF, as you could just about have a rave in their space, its THAT big.  They explained about how they currently have to move the 2 pinballs they now have around now when they rent the space to parties and events almost once every week.  But there is another space on the other end of their large space that is prime for 6 machines, and they are thinking about it.  But there reservation is while they are OK with 1 or 2 machines, they don't want to be thought of, or seen as by their customers, as having an arcade atmosphere.  This is the most frequently used (but almost never spoken) reason to decline games.  

I have looked into several commercial locations and researched them since MM's closed, and finally one looked like it had a chance as it was zoned properly, but there are only 8 parking spaces.  So even though the league is at night and the other places are closed, people may not feel ok parking in spaces marked "reserved" for other merchants.  Plus if they push it and make sure no one is parking in other spots (even at night when no one is using them) that could shut the place down, and whoever signed the lease will be stuck with a lease of a place that is not going to work for intended purposes.  Plus weekends may be a problem when all the places are open. 

I continue to hit the pavement and meeting with managers of various places, including breweries in Loudoun county, but most either don't have the space and/or are not HVAC equipped.  The one brewery I have 2 games in already for the past couple months is The Lost Rhino in the nearby section of Ashburn.  They actually wanted a bunch of games and so I tested 2, and they do OK, and offered them 5 or 6 more once MM's closed.  While the manager (Chris, seems like a good and smart guy) is all for it, he has to convince the owner, who is not all for it, as I am guessing for the reasons that they don't want their image to be one of an arcade as it may scare off customers, or reduce table space.  I made the argument to them that the extra 20+ customers will more than make up for it. These typical business owners just "don't get it", but they are usually wealthy people who can make business mistakes and not have it affect them, until they make too many and they go out of business.   But sometimes I can see their point, and it's their business image/model, so they can do and think what they want. 

Soooooo, after tirelessly hitting the streets and trying to make things happen for the league and myself, I am hopeful one of the "iffy" places mentioned in this note come through.  Keep in mind this is not just a hobby for me as this is a significant way I make a living ever since about the year 2000.  So I NEED to get these machines that I purchased specifically for FSPA league use (save for NBA and Royal Flush which I already had) into a location nearby, so if anyone else has any suggestions please eMail me off line at JoyalRJ at aol.com.  Hope this update helps.        

-Roland 
 PROFESSIONAL AMUSEMENTS, LLC
Local tel 703-481-1313 or Toll FREE 1-877-4-PINBALL 

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