This week on the Open Coin Door podcast, we dive into the highs and headaches of running big events at Reclaim Arcade. From karaoke night technical meltdowns (and how our AV hero saved the day) to a marathon 12-hour Labor Day pinball tournament with over 70 players, we share behind-the-scenes stories, lessons learned, and new ideas for keeping the arcade experience fresh. We also talk about the challenges of long karaoke queues, experimenting with new formats, the role of community support, and how seasonal shifts (and even football season) impact arcade traffic.

In this episode of Open Coin Door, Tim and Collins recap a whirlwind week at Reclaim Arcade. From the excitement of the Women Flipping Out pinball tournament and a packed Goth night with a “Guilty Pleasures” twist, to the harsh reality of a summer birthday bash that turned out to be a bust, they share the highs and lows of running events at a retro arcade bar.

You’ll hear about new streaming integrations with Match Play, the challenges of DJing for themed nights, lessons learned from a flop, and the importance of listening to community feedback. Plus, they dive into ideas for future Saturday events like video game tournaments, developing mocktail menus, and other ways to keep the arcade vision strong.

It’s a candid look at what it takes to build community, experiment with events, and stay true to the soul of an arcade in 2025.

Tim and Collins return after a pizza-making mishap (and a trip to urgent care) to recap their trip to Pinburgh 2025 in Bridgeville, PA. From learning the art of Neapolitan dough to navigating one of the largest pinball tournaments around, they share behind-the-scenes stories, rookie mistakes, and format breakdowns. It’s a mix of food, flippers, and a little bit of friendly frustration. Thanks for tuning in!

Note: Going forward video versions of this podcast will be on our YouTube channel and everything distributed through Spotify to Apple, Amazon, and other podcast platforms will be audio only.

After a short hiatus, the Open Coin Door Podcast is back with a jam-packed episode! Tim returns from a trip to Disney World full of inspiration and shares how it reignited his passion for curating the Reclaim Arcade experience. The conversation shifts to Emo Night’s massive success, specialty cocktails, the value of a great team, and the growing community around themed events. Plus: cosplay, pinball repairs, and the possibility of expanding monthly events. Whether you’re here for theme park geekery, arcade insights, or just good vibes—this episode hits all the buttons.

In this special on-the-road episode of the Open Coin Door Podcast, we head to Ocelot Brewing in Chantilly, Virginia, to hunt down a brand new Harry Potter Collector’s Edition pinball machine. Along the drive, we dig into all things location pinball: how to find great spots using Pinball Map and Pinside, the explosion of pinball in breweries and arcades, and the evolving community of players and collectors. Hear us share personal stories of tracking down rare games, talk about building a pinball business, and swap tips for traveling players. We also recap a packed July 4th karaoke night and preview upcoming events, from mixology classes to live bands.

In this week's episode we chat about Spirit Night fundraisers, the growing pinball scene in Fredericksburg, and do a deep dive into the changes we've made to our food offerings as we've grown. Thanks as always for following and if you have any ideas for topics you'd be interested in us covering in a future episode, hit us up at opencoindoor@gmail.com.

In this week's episode (which we had a lot of practice with since we recorded it twice) we chat about the balance of finding help when you need it and going it alone as a business owner. From social media to sound engineer work there are a variety of needs at the arcade, some more than others that can be tackled without assistance and some that are better for bringing in someone with expertise and weighing those costs. As always, if you love what you hear give us a follow and if you have any ideas for future topics you'd like us to chat about hit us up at opencoindoor@gmail.com

In this week's episode we are joined by special guest and arcade regular Mark Gray who has assisted with troubleshooting networking for our internet-connected games using Insider Connected and Scorbit, as well as making sure our Twitch stream stays online when we stream tournaments. We also chat about the wonderful Women Flipping Out group that holds regular events including the monthly pinball tournament we just held at the arcade last week. And of course with Fathers Day weekend it was a busy one. Thanks for tuning in and if you have any requests for topics you'd like us to cover or questions you have reach out to us at opencoindoor@gmail.com

Show Notes

• Women Flipping Out https://wfopinball.com

• Deadflip How to Stream Pinball https://www.deadflip.com/howtostreampinball
• DRI374 Gear for Pinball and Arcade Streaming https://dri374.live/gear