The biggest pinball arcade in Canada is set to open on P.E.I.
Prince Edward Island will soon become the unlikely home of the country’s biggest arcade dedicated exclusively to pinball.
Seven Graylands’ collection numbers 75-odds machines, 50 of which are going up at the arcade.
Graylands said it started with a group of pinball collectors who played at each other’s houses, but they told him his machines were the best.
“When I got to about eight or nine machines, and I was getting his feedback, I just basically said, ‘Let’s just open an arcade,’” said Graylands, owner of Seven's Pinballorama.
He tried to open one where he was living in B.C., but the city passed a bylaw banning arcades.
But his partner already had a P.E.I. connection.
“I have family that has been here for quite a while,” said Sophia Creuzcamp. “I also did a degree in early Canadian literature, so obviously that includes our good friend Lucy Maud Montgomery.”
She started coming to the island for conferences on the work of the "Anne of Green Gables" author.
“Every time I came back, it was a little bit of a joke just, because it was so beautiful out here,” said Creuzcamp. “We should sell the house and move to P.E.I.”
Graylands used to work in IT.
“I like the idea of doing something that makes people happy,” said Graylands. “Because I’ve spent the last 20 to 30 years with grumpy customers.”
Some of the machines date back to the 30s and 40s, while some are as new as the 90s.
Arcades have been gaining popularity over the past few years, after all but disappearing in the early 2000s.
Even though Graylands played them growing up, he said he's no pinball wizard.
“I’m terrible at pinball, like I really am not very good,” said Graylands. “I love it though because it’s just something that you can kind of get into, this world under this sheet of glass, and you can kind of just climb in there and just play around.”
You won’t have to feed quarters like you used to. Instead, customers will pay at the door to play all the machines.
Graylands aims to be open for customers before the end of June.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
opinion Tom Mulcair: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's train wreck of a final act
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader and political analyst Tom Mulcair puts a spotlight on the 'spectacular failure' of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's final act on the political stage.
B.C. mayor gets calls from across Canada about 'crazy' plan to recruit doctors
A British Columbia community's "out-of-the-box" plan to ease its family doctor shortage by hiring physicians as city employees is sparking interest from across Canada, says Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi.
'There’s no support': Domestic abuse survivor shares difficulties leaving her relationship
An Edmonton woman who tried to flee an abusive relationship ended up back where she started in part due to a lack of shelter space.
opinion King Charles' Christmas: Who's in and who's out this year?
Christmas 2024 is set to be a Christmas like no other for the Royal Family, says royal commentator Afua Hagan. King Charles III has initiated the most important and significant transformation of royal Christmas celebrations in decades.
Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson dead at 65, reports say
Rickey Henderson, a Baseball Hall of Famer and Major League Baseball’s all-time stolen bases leader, is dead at 65, according to multiple reports.
Arizona third-grader saves choking friend
An Arizona third-grader is being recognized by his local fire department after saving a friend from choking.
Germans mourn the 5 killed and 200 injured in the apparent attack on a Christmas market
Germans on Saturday mourned the victims of an apparent attack in which authorities say a doctor drove into a busy outdoor Christmas market, killing five people, injuring 200 others and shaking the public’s sense of security at what would otherwise be a time of joy.
Blake Lively accuses 'It Ends With Us' director Justin Baldoni of harassment and smear campaign
Blake Lively has accused her 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the movie and a subsequent effort to “destroy' her reputation in a legal complaint.
Oysters distributed in B.C., Alberta, Ontario recalled for norovirus contamination
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall due to possible norovirus contamination of certain oysters distributed in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.