Location of the Month – February 2022
February LOCATION OF THE MONTH:
Morristown Game Vault
This Month’s “Location of the Month” is Morristown Game Vault, uniquely situated in Morristown, New Jersey! Open 7 days a week with a variety (almost 110) of retro arcade cabinets and pinball machines inside of a former bank.
Q: When did you get into the pinball business?
A: I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s playing these games as a kid.
In 1999 I came across an ad in the newspaper for some games. Me and my cousin Vinny rented a U-Haul and grabbed my first 3 games. Asteroids, Ms. Pac-Man and a Popeye arcade.
I then went to an estate sale and found a Harlem Globe Trotters pinball, my first pinball purchase. I did not know how to dismantle it for loading into my Nissan X-Terra, but managed to get it home.
The hobby grew and so did the knowledge I obtained on the internet forums. Met some people at shows and BBQ’s and kept learning how to maintain and repair.
Decided my insane collection of 75 games needed to be played by someone other than me. So I looked to open an retro-pinball video arcade.
Q: When did you open this location?
A: I opened up March 12th of 2016, which happened to be the towns St. Patrick’s Day parade. (it definitely helped get noticed and people in the door!)
Q: Do you guys run any tournaments or leagues? If so can you give us more details?
A: We run a weekly, Tuesday night tournament. It starts at 6:45pm and runs till about 9:30/10pm.
$15 allows you to play all 115 games in the arcade. We also have a Sunday monthly tournament that runs from 2pm till finished. Follow the link for more information: http://www.morristowngamevault.com/events-pinballtournaments/
Q: Do you have a specific pinball night and what other events/specials do you run?
Pinball events are mentioned above. We also do twice a year Cosplay events. We recently had Project Pinball Charity here. On 1-30-22 we hosted the Unofficial New jersey State Championship.
Q: Do you fix your own games or do you use a local operator/tech?
A: I have a technician Rich Corbo (https://www.homearcaderepairs.com/) who helps me twice a month. I am here all the time tweaking and maintaining the equipment. The pinball machines love to be cleaned weekly for the league/tournament players.
Q: What’s the last game you brought in and how often do you rotate?
A: July 2021 I acquired a Premium Jurassic Park pinball machine. Stern has some amazing games! Pins are not often rotated since the moment I pull one out, a patron shows up and says they are here to play that specific game, “Where did it go?!”
Over the 6 years in business I have replaced a few titles, probably once a year. I would rather keep adding, but my space is maxed out. And my website has the list.
Q: What would be your holy grail of a machine?
A: I don’t have a holy grail. I love Robotron and Spy Hunter arcade games. I love Jurassic Park, Spider-Man VE and Space Shuttle.
Q: Do you partner with any other locations?
A: Starcade in Mays Landing, NJ
Q: Do you go to any shows and IF SO which one is your favorite?
A: Yes, Yes, Yes! My favorite is the Allentown pinball show.
Q: And your closing thoughts and what you do for the pinball community or your local community?
A: I believe I offer a unique experience for the community where they can have fun with family and friends while creating lasting memories. Young and old alike enjoy the variety of games I have that span from 1974 to present.
My oldest is a 1974 Amigo EM pinball machine. It’s just good old fashioned fun. As far as the pinball community we are keeping pinball alive. Watching and talking to other pinball players is an ideal way to help improve your game.
Visit their website http://www.morristowngamevault.com/ for more info!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morristowngamevault/
Tags: arcade, location, location of the month, Pinball, pinball machines