Come on, flip. Flip. Bend a little bit. Maybe get wise to a new tip. Come on, flip. Flip. Take a little trip. See another side of the same ship. It's time for another Pinball Profile. I'm your host, Jeff Teolos. You can find everything on pinballprofile.com, all your subscriptions, past episodes and more. Please join our Facebook group. We're also on Twitter and Instagram at pinballprofile, and you can email us pinballprofile at gmail.com. It has been a tough year. Everybody knows that. So it's always good to hear some wonderful stories in the pinball world. We saw some good ones last year, including Fred Richardson opening up Bang Back Pinball Lounge in Columbia, South Carolina. Tough to do during a pandemic, so everyone's rooting for Funky Fresh and Fred to do so well there. And we saw another story like this just recently. I was on Steven Bowden's Fun with Bonus, and this article caught my eye and hopefully yours too. It's time to introduce you to Melissa Serquin. Melissa, thanks for joining us on Pinball Profile. Hi, thank you for having me. I am very excited about High Score Pinball Arcade, which you just opened up in Westfield, South Shore on Long Island. This is inside the shopping center. This is a big endeavor and during a tough time, but you have done it. 42 pinball machines, five arcade games. Tell us about how you got to this point, Melissa. That is a long story. but basically how it happened was my boyfriend and I had our collection of pinball machines in a very unsafe room. It was an unfinished area, another mall where we have the second location of his business, Video Game Trading Post. It's a retro specialty shop for video games and all the like. The room we kept the machines in was unfinished. The room we kept the machines in was an unfinished store. The floors were uneven. There was a pipe that burst over one of the machines and it nearly destroyed it. I do believe that was the original Black Knight machine that we had here. No. I know. It's one of our favorites to the whole series, but that kind of opened our eyes to, it's a very unsafe place to have over a hundred grand worth of pinball machines in. and I came up with the idea or I pitched the idea to him that what if we just open an arcade? It would be a great place to have these machines seen, played with, not collecting dust, not in fear of getting damaged, maybe by the public a little bit, a little banged up, but that's okay as long as they're being enjoyed. So we got to working and Westfield South Shore Mall, they gave us a very generous opportunity, basically. They let us try out our business model in their mall. I think that's exciting. And a lot of malls might have, as you can imagine, during the pandemic, seen some suffering, maybe some store closures. So maybe there's some space. I can't think of a mall that I know of that isn't having some vacancy issues because, you know, we've been locked up for so long. And hopefully things now are getting better. A lot of vaccines, certainly in New York State, where they are definitely needed, where the pandemic hit hard. So what a brilliant idea that you had, Melissa. to actually put these games to use, get them out of that dangerous storage area. And now so many people are going to enjoy these wonderful machines that you've collected. But now there's that whole, okay, that's great. We moved them. But now this is a business. This is a full-time job. And this is making sure they're in tip-top shape and playable and all that kind of stuff in the business model and getting a license. And it's not just as easy as moving them from one storage facility to another facility. So I don't know how long that took for you and Mike to put this together, but kudos to both of you. Thank you so much. Honestly, it took miraculously just under three weeks and we made it our business to make it happen. Honestly, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. So we were excitedly working day and night to have this set up. Again, just a big thank you obviously to Westfield, South Shore Mall that made it possible. But yes, it was definitely an undertaking to say the least. What brilliant foresight on your part for doing this and I don't know what you were doing before this, obviously collecting pinball machines, but you've only been in this hobby for a short period of time, relatively speaking, with you and Mike doing this for four years. That's not a long time. Yeah, we're frequently made aware of just how new we are in the pinball scene. I mean, some of these guys have been in this business for, or just hobby, this passion having for decades, exploring the titles, knowing the machines, knowing the games, the rules, everything. And we have a sort of appreciation for how young we are in this hobby. And we have many friends who in the pinball community, the local pinball community on Long Island, that really help us out all the way. People like Dennis Cole, one of our friends, Vinny Laverde, who runs Metrocade right in this area as well. and there's so many other people who have really been mentors to us almost in this journey that we've taken because we just fell head over heels in love as soon as we saw our first pinball machine which was gorgar great classic machine yes and um we heard the whole history about it how it was the first pinball machine to speak and just the idea just knowing the the history behind it knowing And how it works and what it does, it's just so, it's addicting almost. Melissa, I'm so glad that you can appreciate that because you're a young woman. You know, you're not even 30 years old. And I remember as a young boy when I first played Gorgar and it spoke and it blew my mind And I know you love Black Knight as well another game that speaks and just how awe those machines were at the time And here you are in 2021 with a full appreciation of what those machines meant in a time before you were born, but still the nostalgic factor here today and how important they are. Of course. I mean, machines like these that have stories behind them have traits that each one carry, like the Black Knight series. The first Black Knight, how it had the two playfields stay in Black Knight, Black Knight 2000, Black Knight Silver Rage, and the kind of artwork, the speaking of it, like what it says. I mean, everything is just, I don't know, it's almost like it evolves. I honestly believe every pinball machine just tries to outdo each other, and it's just so great to see technology and art alike. I think the whole Americana and the art of a pinball machine back in the day when there was certainly video games came out shortly after, but it was always the pinball machines and this big structure, especially when you're a young child and this machine is so much bigger than you. It was just, there was so much to do. It was live. It was mechanical. A video game certainly could do more sounds and everything else, but it was the pinball machine that was, what is underneath that glass that just kind of drew me into it? And again, you talk about Black Knight. That machine is single-handedly the game that got me hooked in the hobby. And just the trying to get maybe an extra ball. Maybe you're lucky enough to get a free game. And now that you operate this, and still it's only been open for a short time, but now that you operate High Score Pinball Arcade, I would imagine you're seeing young people with that first pinball experience that have been exposed already to video games and maybe home consoles. But what is it like for you to see these kids flip for the first time? It's beautiful, honestly, seeing kids just look out through the window into my arcade and just look at all of the flashing lights, the way that you actually have to flip the flippers to make the ball do anything. It's an actual physical game where kids can be completely immersed in. And it's just so wonderful seeing how parents bring their kids into the arcade so they can witness it for themselves. You know, they notice the excitement in their kids and they want to share with it. And they come in and ask me, hey, can I just look around? And sometimes I give in. I'm just like, you know, free game on the house. Totally fine. I mean, how can you say no to a little face like that saying it's very it's almost magical. Melissa, do you know how many fans of pinball you are creating by doing things like that? I mean, it's a subtle gesture, but it means so much, especially to a child or anybody that's never played a pinball machine. or when people see a pinball machine that how many times you've heard people, I didn't know they still make pinball machines, or I haven't seen those in years, those kind of reactions, just as you see the new people playing it for the first time. It's very exciting, and you, with that gesture, that goes a long way, and who knows, maybe they get into the hobby, maybe they start collecting, and it grows and grows and grows. To be honest, my first, well, I guess not many people will count it as their first pinball experience, but something that always intrigued me was the game that you would play on the old Windows, the virtual pinball. Space Cadet? I believe that was it, yes. And I absolutely loved that game. I actually didn't know that that game was an actual physical game that people play. I didn't know there were other themes. I didn't know there were other objectives in the game. And when I did realize that, you know, through TV and movie and everything, I was like, that must be so cool. That's like having different arcade cabinets, right? Arcade games that you can do different things in. It must be really cool. And I didn't actually start playing them until later in my life. And I just like, I was hooked immediately. So my first experience was on a computer. Do you know what got me back into this hobby was casually somebody saying, oh, we've got a pinball league and we're playing this Saturday night. And I didn't realize there was anything like a pinball league or pinball competitions or tournaments or the International Flipper Pinball Association, which kind of governs all pinball activity as far as tournaments and competitive pinball. I had no idea any of this existed. I went to this league, saw it, played it, and I was like, wow, that's pretty amazing. But I thought that was a one-off thing. And then I saw the Pinball Arcade, which is today's version of that Space Cadet. And it's on your iPad, and you're playing these actual real pinball machines in a digital form. but it's the real rules, the real art, almost similar gravity as far as shooting the ball. And it was a lot cheaper than paying thousands of dollars for a machine just to pay a few bucks to buy some titles on this app. And I was like, okay, I've got to buy a real pinball machine now. I'm hooked. So it's funny that the video game aspect or the Space Cadet for you, the pinball arcade for me really got us, okay, now I'm ready. Let's take the plunge. Definitely. And honestly, video games has done that many times in my life, but I'm glad it brought some kind of connection for the actual physical game. I mean, it's just such a magical experience, honestly. One thing I know that you'd like to do with High Score Pinball Arcade is maybe have some tournaments, maybe have some sessions, some demonstrations. That would be exciting for sure. 100%. I have been told by many people already that pinball leagues, pinball tournaments are the next step. And when am I going to have that up and ready? And, you know, who's going to be setting it up? And what I always tell them is, yes, yes, we will be doing it. As soon as I get a little more help around the arcade and I can get down to actually scheduling talking with people seeing when everyone available seeing what we can do And being that I never actually organized such a thing I would definitely be relying on a lot of my friends in the pinball community to really help me out with that because I would love to make that possible for people again. And especially in the area, there aren't any places on Long Island where you can actually play pinball in a dedicated space like we have at High Score. I mean, you can go as far as Brooklyn and the barcades and in the city and while they're all wonderful and just really amazing places, making that trip isn't something that a lot of people are really wanting to do, especially in these times, you know. You mentioned Brooklyn. I think of Sunshine Laundromat. I think of Jack Bar and Buttermilk and other barcades that have some activity and maybe even some leagues going on. But in Long Island, that's a bit of a hike to go to Brooklyn. But I know there's such a huge desire, and I'm sure there is in Long Island as well. I think of all the people that come to the old New York City Pinball Championship. And once this pandemic is over, that big event will happen again. There's a lot of pinball activity in Long Island for sure. So there's a lot of helpful tips. And you'll probably get a few reach out to you, maybe from this podcast, maybe from your article on Facebook or whatever. Where can people reach you if they want to find out more about High Score Pinball Arcade? They can always visit us at highscorepinball.com. Right now, it leads to our Facebook page, but very soon, an official website will take its place. And from there, we also have our Instagram at HighScorePinball as well. One of the most important quotes you mentioned in the Greater Bayshore article about HighScorePinball Arcade was that this is a woman-owned and a woman-run facility, which is extremely important to you, especially in what has been a male-dominated gaming industry. And you said, it's definitely something I've been increasingly more aware of as a first-generation Peruvian. My family is just seeing what I've created. I want to show people that this is woman-run and run by a minority, and I'm very proud of that. You should be proud of that for so many reasons, and it is extremely inspiring. I truly believe that from the bottom of my heart. I am the daughter of immigrants, and I am very proud to say that. My parents are both very hardworking people that have created a life for their family, for my sister and I. And it's no small feat. So when I find myself in a position that I am able to give back and I have a platform and I am able to say something and be heard, that is something I want to express, that I am here. I exist. I am a woman, daughter of immigrants, and I am making this happen in the United States of America. And I'm very proud to say that. There are so many outstanding people like yourself that can bring so much to the pinball community. And do you know why I think you're going to do really well? And you don't even know this. Do you know why you've already got that kind of secret sauce for pinball success? Why is that? Because of your love for cats. 100% pinball and cats go together trust me there's whole Instagram things about pinball cats cats on machines and I'm just telling you there are a lot of cat lovers out there so you know when we say that you're part of the club now people are going to flock to high score for sure because okay Melissa's cool she loves cats alright she's one of us yes and there's no such thing as a bad cat never even though there is a machine bad cats but There's only good cats that do bad things. But yes, of course. Cats are great. So how many do you have? We have two. We have Creamy and Baby. And my boyfriend's sister, who, you know, this cat is as close as us to any other as well. Hers was Taco Cat. Taco Cat fell backwards as Taco Cat. Nice. And Kako is actually the one that likes to sleep on the pinball machines that he brought over to her house. So I'm very aware that kitty cats love sleeping on pinball machines. We got a rescue cat in January, a little kitten that was born outside. And they caught the cat and fostered it for three months, gave it all the shots and all that kind of good thing. So we really got a kitten at six months old. And the first time coming home, you know, just kind of left it one room just to kind of find its new surroundings and then explore the house shortly after that. And now it's just it's such a part of our family. And the first time our cat, Freddie, went downstairs and saw the pinball machines. You're right. I mean, it's like they're magnets or something. They just jump on like this is the greatest. Oh, my goodness. Of course. Having a foster like that is almost like they choose you. And I think that's the most special thing. Oh, my goodness. But imagine him choosing you, and on top of that, it's like he knew that you had pinball machines. I'm going to stay here because he's got pinball machines. I like sleeping on those. I can't tell you how excited I am that you are both feet in, full on, and I think you're going to do very well for a long time. You've got the right attitude. And you turned something that really was a tragedy with the pipes bursting. And boy, oh boy, wait till you get deeper into, if you already don't know, about the history of the Papa organization and how they had all these wonderful pinball machines. And there was a flood and many of them were destroyed. And I know a lot of homeowners that have had the same kind of thing where something went wrong in the basement or a pipe leaked and they had to save the pinball machines. Or sadly, some of them weren't able to be saved. And what you've done here is just incredible that you've turned it into an actual arcade. So they talk about turning lemons into lemonade. You've done that with high score. Definitely And on top of saving them which I so glad I was able to do I mean who knows what could have happened And we just happy we can sleep at night knowing that they in a safe space They insured Yeah. And the biggest thing, honestly, in my heart is that they're able to be seen and enjoyed. And I think that's really what the point is to all of this, that people can come in, no matter who they are, and see and play these machines that have so much history, have so much going on. And I think it's really special to begin with, and I'm just happy that people feel the same way about the business I created. Some people with large collections might turn to becoming operators, and they'll put the games out in existing locations. I don't know if that was ever a thought, but when you do that, you have to be available to go and fix the machine. In this way, okay, you still have to fix the machines, but they're all in one place, and you get the enjoyment of seeing everyone get to play these games. So I don't know if that was ever a thought, but I've got to say I like what you've done. It was definitely a thought. Having them all in the same place where we can see them, play them, if any of them do break down, that we can have everything in the same place, all our tools, all our parts, all our machines. and easily fix them. Also where we can all enjoy them in the same space. That was a very big thing. Not many people want to go into an unfinished storage area in a mall to come play with myself or my boyfriend, Mike. So it's much easier to convince our friends and family to come and play with us now. When you talk about fixing machines, is that something that you do? Is that something that Mike does? Is that something you've learned? because if so, where is that class and how do I sign up? I wish there was, yes. So Mike and I know enough to really troubleshoot, to fix certain things, definitely tear them down, put them back together, transporting, definitely connecting everything back to the main board. It's stuff that we've picked up over the years, and I've always had that kind of inclination to learn these things, but never had a chance to try it. I never had the resources to really get into something like circuitry or any of these kinds of technologies. But I've always had an interest. Mike was always the one to put them together, know what needs to go where, know what needs doing. But as far as actually fixing the machines go, a lot of that credit goes to our friends in the pinball community. Definitely Dennis Cole, Tim Ruman, Chris DiStefano, Andrew of Andrew and Sons, Sal from Arcade Salvation, even our friends at Great Neck Gaming. We have so many good friends. They rally around us and they really are special people who want to see us succeed because they believe in the idea. And I'm so grateful for that. And it's because of all of these great people and businesses that we're able to source different talents to help us keep these things up and running and for people to enjoy. This is so great. You've got an amazing collection. I assume you're adding to it as well. We recently purchased a Beatles, an Iron Maiden, an Avengers Infinity Quest, Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic Park. Some more are definitely in the works, and we're very excited for those new additions. I love that you've got some of the newer titles. You've got some classics, too, like Evil Knievel. It's amazing, the collection that you've put together here at Highscore Pinball Arcade. Definitely. It's always growing, always expanding. We have other things in the works as well, as far as membership prices, all-day passes. is, like we said before, the pinball tournaments, the pinball leagues. It's all to come. And definitely, I hope everyone stays tuned to what we have in store. I got to tell you, I really like the idea of the hourly session. I mean, especially in a mall, when maybe parents are shopping, like, here you go, you stay here for an hour, I'll be back, because the kids don't want to go shopping. Or can I really be honest? Uh-huh. Sometimes when I go shopping with my wife, and I'm not the greatest shopper in the world. So if I could go to like an arcade, honey, fill your boots, go check out all the places. I'm just going to pop into here for a little bit or maybe the other way around. You know what I mean? It's a great way to kind of escape that thing for the non-shopper. So I love that you've got that and the sessions too, the hourly sessions, the day sessions. That's a really brilliant strategy. It's so funny you mentioned that because I've been told by not one, two, but at least five different husbands that they're so glad a place like this popped up in the mall because they could just chill there all day. I was like, we'll be glad to have you. We have all-day passes if you're interested. People are going to enjoy these games for sure. I love what you're doing at High Score Pinball Arcade, and I promise you once this pandemic is over, my next trip to New York, and I like to come once or twice a year, I'm definitely heading to Long Island. and I look forward to meeting you and playing some of your awesome games. So thank you very much for joining us on Pinball Profile and all the best to you at High Score Pinball Arcade. Thank you so much for having me and definitely can't wait until you come visit us. This has been your Pinball Profile. You can find everything on pinballprofile.com. Join our Facebook group. Find us on Twitter and Instagram at pinballprofile and email us pinballprofile at gmail.com. I'm Jeff Teolas. Everybody come and play Throw every last care away Let's go to the moon today