The Seattle Times recently took a look at the Northwest city’s “exciting pinball present and sketchy past,” detailing the resurgence the game has had there – and mirroring what’s been happening around the country and world.
It first features Brian Headley, a longtime pinball collector and mechanic, who has seen an explosion in Seattle pinball over the past 10 years.
Brian Headley, owner of BMH Vending, fixes a flipper and a bumper on The Sopranos pinball game at Jupiter Bar in Seattle. Headley services and maintains 30 pinball machines at Jupiter, as well as around a dozen machines at different locations in the city. (Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times)
“Back in the day, you could get a ‘broken’ machine for $50,” he said. “Sometimes, it’d only take 10 minutes and $15 worth of parts to get it going again. But then who’d want it?” Now, of course, those machines are selling for thousands of dollars, and arcade bars are popping up all over. For a glimpse into Seattle pinball, take a look at the full profile here.
Amber Marie Simon plays pinball with the Death Savers team. This Monday Night Pinball league match was at Add-a-Ball in Fremont. Simon has played in pinball leagues since 2013 in San Francisco, New York and Chicago. (Erika Schultz / The Seattle Times)
