Hittin’ The Town: A pinball lovers paradise in Monroe

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Remember the pinball arcades of your childhood? Well, they’re once again a popular spot and there’s one that’s lighting up the Monroe Mall.

It all came about after owner David DeSloover retired after 31 years at Ford. “Within a month of retiring, my wife was like you have got to find something to do, so we opened up the arcade,” said DeSloover.

The Pinball and Classic Arcade was a hit right out of the gates. You’ll find everything from brand new machines to the classics.

This place is a pinball lovers paradise. “We’ve got 23 pinball machines and 15 classic arcade games,” said DeSloover.

Patrick Mendis started playing as a kid, he’s a self-described pinhead. “As pinball has evolved and people have become more talented, it’s nice to go back to those old games and try and use the skill you picked up in the old-style games,” said Mendis.

David bought his first pinball machine in 2014, and he’s been buying and working on them ever since. “We love to save old pinball machines that haven’t worked in a long time. We’ll get replacement parts, fix them up and hopefully get another 40-50 years out of them,” said DeSloover.

David says coming here is truly like taking a step back in time for a lot of people, too. “Every time someone comes in here for the very first time it’s like oh man I used to play that when I was a kid. Now they get to experience that with their kids. That’s fun. That’s why we opened this place,” said DeSloover.

Patrick loves the challenges of every game. “No two games are ever alike. You can play the same game five times in a row and each time something different happens in the game based on what you hit with the flipper or the ball,” said Mendis.

If you’d like to show off your mad skills, there are tournaments for just about everyone. “We have a women’s tournament once a month. We have co-ed tournaments a couple times a month and we have a little flippers tourney for kids between the ages of five and 12.”

It’s everything from the tournaments, to the every day games and all the people who play them that have made this a great second act for David. “I love the sounds, the lights, the families coming here and spending quality time together. Those smiles whether they are 5 or 55, they kind of feed my smile,” DeSloover said.

If you’d like to learn more about the pinball and classic arcade, click here.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.

Copyright 2022 WTVG. All rights reserved.