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Event details will be posted as we progress through 2025 and 2026. Admission will be based on signing up online for Open Play, Tournament, or Special events.
All attendees will need an event code to enter. We cannot accept walk-in attendees. Our doors are locked 24/7/365 for the following reasons: We need to be fair to those who have signed up in advance. Additionally, our location has a capacity limit. Some events are reserved by families or corporate specific and their reservation deserves exclusivity.
This message posted here on our FAQ on 8/26/2025.
Open play will be $25 per person. This is for the person that just wants to hang out and play pinball, no tournament play, no pressure. A minimum of 54 machines will be on free play. A select few will be on coin play with the focus of coin drop contributing to Julie's Mission. Machines on coin play will be noted on the GAMES tab. Participating in coin play machines is OPTIONAL! We are currently working on expanding to allow even more in the free play lineup. Special event and tournament costs will be listed separately. If you are unfamiliar, "Free Play" means you can walk up to the machine and start a game with no coin/money/card interaction necessary. You can play it as many times as you want. We do ask you be on the lookout in case someone else may be wanting to play the same machine. Invite them for a 2 player game perhaps?
Yes! We encourage folks who are new to pinball to join us for an Open Play session. We'd be happy to show you the basics when you arrive. The rules/strategy of older games are sometimes simple as three or four sentences. Newer machines have rules that look like a book when printed and still a work in progress by the designers! The pinball community is generally very inviting and happy to share knowledge with beginners. What's unique is pinball can be enjoyed by those who are social creatures AND those who want to step into their own world for a little while.
Playing pinball! Upon entry, $5.40 of admission is an immediate contribution. Furthermore, 54% of all coin sales are added to this. A portion of machine sales are also added. We are exploring additional ways to contribute in the future. The remaining is put towards operating costs. The use of John and Eric's machines are donation based off their passion for pinball.
We will begin announcing Open Play, Tournaments, and special events as we get closer to opening. We anticipate these being up to one weekend day per week. Possibly add on a weekday if necessary.
We own the small lot behind the building in the southeast corner accessible from the alley. You are welcome to park there if there is room. There is also an abundance of street parking in many directions. DO NOT park in the small lot to our north. This is for the apartment next to us and they have signs hanging up so there shouldn't be any confusion.
We plan to offer a selection of soft drinks, water, and snacks during your visit for a small cost. We have a lounge area for everyone to relax with these options and any food you may source nearby. There are several restaurants within walking distance and many more within a few minutes drive.
Some of the finer details about Julie's may be found here
We welcome beginners and competitive play. We provide a good balance for the novice and expert player. Adjusting difficulty back and forth per machine is a time consuming process. We consider difficulty settings on a game-by-game basis. A general rule of thumb is as follows:
Some Free play machines will be set at a higher difficulty.
Coin play machines will observe settings somewhat easier than those on free play. These machines will offer an opportunity for a replay based on score. Most coin play machines will offer extra balls.
Match feature for coin play will be off (or 0% for modern games). The philosophy behind the match feature dates back to the days when game times were extremely short and rewarding a player with a free game based on randomness was warranted. With much longer game times with newer machines and with coin play supporting Julie’s mission, we are comfortable turning off the match feature.
Occasionally. Most of the machines at Julies are on loan from John and Eric's private collection. Sometimes Julie's will buy machines to refurbish and sell in order to keep up with operating expenses. When a machine is listed for sale we will include a price next to the title here on our website under the "Games" tab.
At this time we do not sell games on consignment. There are a few reasons for this. Some are for the reasons we sell games as noted above. Some are for the reasons explained in the question after this, below. Additionally there is the complexity of warranty repairs and support following a sale.
Many have generously offered to loan us their game which we appreciate! Before our own games arrive we invest a fair amount of parts and labor in them before arrival. For the sake of consistency it's difficult to balance these efforts on a game owned by someone else. For newly manufactured games this is less of an issue and may be able to accommodate. Either way, we thank you for having us in mind to consider this! There are some locations around the country that are "collectives" with a potluck or pinball club approach. This does work for some folks but is not our approach. We are in a unique position with Julie's Mission in mind.
A few games we find, the rest seem to find us. Our main collection focus is towards classic and unique machines. Many come through previous customers and word of mouth. We don't intend to purchase every newly released title. We wouldn't be above to cover our operating costs taking this approach and working with Julie's Mission would not be possible.
For "Solid State" pinball machines, manufactured in 1978 and newer, please see John's business site Pinball Plus for current service availability. Generally speaking, John is slowing down with repairs as he's been in this business since the 80s and wants to focus on the machines for Julie's
For Electromechanical machines 1977 and prior to, that's Eric "reelhouse". Eric works beyond full time leading a service team for a medical device manufacture. This keeps him busy at least 50 hours a week. His own collection is on a 4 to 5 year waiting list as it is! That being said, he is happy to show you the way towards some great resources to self teach, just as he did as a kid. There are a few folks in the cities who repair the older machines however few, if any, formally perform service calls.
John and Eric have collected pinball machines for a majority of their lives. Eric and his father bought Eric’s first machine when he was 10 years old. Over the years they have networked with many in the industry and hobby. With John owning two retail stores and continuing repair business, some customers choose to sell their machines over time. The most common reason is downsizing their homes/ becoming empty nesters.
Selling parts is not something we are set up for at this time. We only carry a limited number of generic parts on site for emergency repairs and a few extra things if we are working on something in our offices. We source our parts from the same places most collectors and retailers go. Over the years we have been asked if we carry (insert game-specific aftermarket part) and that will most likely not be the case. However some folks who make their own parts occasionally contribute to us along with some extras. In that case it’s a special surprise!
John: The one the works
Eric: The next one to restore that hasn't been played in decades so other's can enjoy again
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