![]() Stern was “an unapologetic booster” of downtown Springfield, where his family owned a furniture store from the early 1900s through the 1970s. Only four are allowed at a time due to COVID-19 concerns.Ĭondolences to the family and friends of Arnold Stern, who died Sept. ![]() It is $5 per customer to get into the arcade. Those interested can check out the bracket on Dumb Records’ website and social media pages. “So the downtown business pinball tournament has just been a great way to just not talk about COVID.” “And so, as COVID has dragged on, we needed a lighthearted way to come together where we didn't have to talk about how we're pivoting our businesses, and how we're going to survive,” Stott said. “The best part of a neighborhood like downtown when you're a business owner is that you are in a true neighborhood with other business owners who are sharing your same experience, who become friends,” said Downtown Springfield, Inc. A different pinball machine will be used for each round of the tournament, which will wrap up next month.įor many, the tournament has provided a much-needed distraction from COVID-19 and further built camaraderie between fellow business owners. Some of the other top first round scores: Langfelder, who at the time was losing to Resource One’s Chris Davis, used this extra time to achieve a score of 33,647,500 on the Medieval Madness pinball machine and vanquish his rival. The “order” said that “if Dumb Records violates this request, we will never know if the City of Springfield can play a mean pinball.” Galecki complied with the extension. 8 to achieve the highest score possible and advance to the next round.īut, in the ultimate power move, Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder last Tuesday issued an “emergency order” extending the first round an additional day. The first round started in late August, with representatives of each business in the bracket having the opportunity to play an unlimited amount of times through Sept. I think it turned out to be just the right time for something like that.” ![]() “But then after thinking about it awhile, I was like, ‘you know, let's just do it and it'll be just a fun thing,' you know? And even if we're just posting about it, I think it'll boost a lot of morale here downtown and it'd be a good thing,” Galecki said. Owner Brian Galecki said he was initially hesitant to host a tournament. ![]() Though known for selling vinyl records and CDs, the record store also added an arcade in July featuring 10 machines, including a sit down racing game, four stand up classic arcade games, and five pinball machines. This is perhaps most pertinent for business owners running brick-and-mortar stores in downtown Springfield, who have been hurt by the loss of foot traffic as much of the downtown labor force continues to work from home while tourists have stayed away.īut, the past few weeks, conversations have turned away - at least for a few moments - from the doom-and-gloom of the present situation to fun, competitive banter on who plays a mean pinball.Īt least 32 downtown businesses have competed in downtown Springfield’s first pinball tournament, hosted by Dumb Records. Many conversations center around how to adapt to the current reality of social distancing and capacity limits and simply surviving in order to reach better times. Running a small business amid a global pandemic is not easy. ![]()
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