The Brooks’ Fargo Pinball Springs Into Action
Learn about Emily and Bill Brooks’ Fargo Pinball business!
Bill and Emily Brooks' New Arcade Venture is A Local Hit
Bill and Emily Brooks are two names that the Fargo business and arts communities know well. If you know Bill Brooks, you know him for his dedicated work at FBS as a geographer; if you know Emily Brooks, it’s because of the beautiful art she has adorned Fargo with. Yet the Brooks have another business venture that you may not have known about—Fargo Pinball.
Fargo Pinball was started in 2015 by Bill and Emily Brooks along with Bill’s brother, Jim Brooks, as a private club which they initially sold memberships for. However, the business model changed during the pandemic, and rather than a private club, Fargo Pinball was brought to the masses, and machines began popping up in local businesses.
Did You Know?
Because of its history as an illegal game, pinball is an American symbol of rebellion, and is often referenced this way in movies, songs, and other pop culture.
Easy Setup for Gameplay
Fargo Pinball machines are all operated by pay range, an app users can download that allows them to load up their account with credits to play on each pinball machine.
Turning Fargo Pinball Into A Business
Enjoying the game of pinball is one thing—turning it into a viable business is another. The magic ingredients for turning Fargo Pinball into a profitable business included connecting with influential names in the industry, including a connection with Chicago Expo Founder and Chairman Rob Berk in 2015, and tapping into the pinball community.
In that process, the Brooks were shocked to discover just how big that community truly is. That is why, eventually, their little side business allowed them to make connections worldwide. “One of the first people we connected with was Rob Berk from the Pinball Expo in Chicago, the birthplace of pinball,” Emily said. This encounter happened coincidentally when Berg, also a fireworks enthusiast, was in West Fargo for a pyrotechnics event. He reached out to Bill for a tour of Fargo Pinball, sparking a lasting connection.
The Brooks’ relationship with Berk led to an invitation to speak at the 2016 Pinball Expo in Chicago. “We’ve been going to the pinball expos in Chicago ever since, making connections not only nationally but globally as well,” Bill said.
One such connection was with John Buscaglia of Stern Pinball, who approached the Brooks after their presentation, excited about the growing interest of pinball in the state. “They approached us and we worked out a deal with them—they wanted to be in North Dakota,” Bill said.
Partnering with Stern proved to be a monumental step for the Brooks, prompting them to be authorized dealers and opening the business to a whole new world of national customer reach and a fabulous support department that helped expand their technical knowledge and expertise. This marked the beginning of their status as local and regional experts in the pinball world, which opened other doors for connections and partnerships.
“We were able to make connections with pinball artists, engineers, and technical experts. These connections gave us a better understanding of all the amazing things that go into developing a pinball machine,” the Brooks said. “Pinball Expo in particular has allowed us to connect with numerous pinball enthusiasts across the globe. We have been fortunate to visit our new friends in Australia and The Netherlands.”
What is the IFPA?
The International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA) is the governing body for competitive pinball. In several European countries, like France, pinball is called flipper, which is why it’s called the flipper pinball association, to recognize the game’s international identities. The IFPA holds the world championships, and then the us and Canada hold the state and provincial championships. Brooks has been diligently working with the IFPA to bring competitive pinball to Fargo to provide opportunities for players to compete nationally and even internationally.
Today, Fargo Pinball is officially authorized for three different manufacturers and enthusiasts can find Fargo Pinball machines in Drekker, Brewhalla, Fargo Billiards, Old Broadway, and at Dempsey’s new addition room.
However, the gameplay reach doesn’t top out at FargoMoorhead’s city limits. As a licensed distributor, Fargo Pinball sells machines nationwide, with clientele reaching all the way from Massachusetts to California.
In addition to being authorized pinball machine distributors, the Brooks enjoy connecting with people from all over the world at trade shows and have been featured speakers several times on panel discussions at Pinball Expo in Chicago and various podcasts.
Just How Big is the Pinball Community?
What a lot of people may not realize is just how global the pinball community is. “The pinball business actually ties into our travels as we connect with from around the world,” Emily said. “[In the summer of 2022), we visited the Dutch pinball museum in the Netherlands and enjoyed reconnecting with the owner at pinball expo and Texas pinball festival. We have also visited friends we’ve made through pinball while visiting Australia and all over the us-it’s a really cool community of enthusiasts!”
Bringing Pinball to New Demographics
Although pinball machines can be found anywhere, they are commonly found in bars—and because individuals under 21 cannot legally enter bars in North Dakota, the Brooks wanted to bring Fargo Pinball to spaces where people of all ages can enjoy pinball—like Brewhalla and Fargo Billiards.
The Brooks are playing into the current uptrend of arcade and oldschool games making a comeback in our culture and they are excited to be a part of the growing interest pinball is taking on in Fargo.
Not to forget their core demographic, The Brooks also brought Fargo Pinball to some of Fargo’s best bars and breweries, including Drekker, Old Broadway, and Dempsey’s.
Additionally, the Brooks are helping put Fargo on the map in a new way. “We have really amazing players in our area,” Emily said. “One thing that Bill really wanted to focus on is to bring the competition to [Fargo], nationally. And so he worked with the IFPA (International Flipper Pinball Association) to make it possible to have a pinball competition each year where the state winner would go on to compete nationally.”
Did You Know?
Initially thought to be a game of chance (vs skill), pinball was outlawed in America for several decades. it was, quite literally, considered the moonshine of arcade games. In major cities, prohibition- style police raids would result in many pinball machine owners being arrested. It wasn’t until a 26-year-old magazine editor named Roger Sharpe flipped the script in 1978 when he played in front of the New York City Council. His impressive performance convinced the council that pinball is in fact a game of skill-and the ban was lifted.
Behind The Scenes: Fargo Pinball Under The Hood
All competition and business aside, for Bill, the enjoyment of pinball is as simple as spending his lunch hours fixing pinball machines. He took us under the hood to show what repairs look like on any given day—it’s incredible to see all of the wiring and gears that go into bringing the game of pinball to life. “It’s been kind of a fun routine because it allows me to clear my head and shift my focus to something completely different than my day job,” he said.
Although the Brooks love seeing enthusiasts playing pinball, continual upkeep is required to keep the machines running smoothly—and with a carbon steel ball flying around during gameplay, there’s always sure to be some mayhem on the playing field.
How Fargo Pinball Is Connecting Players Worldwide
One recent innovation in the pinball world has been interconnectivity, which allows users to play a pinball machine in Fargo and see how their particular score matches up to someone playing the same pinball machine anywhere else in the world. This ability to connect with other avid pinball enthusiasts helps showcase “destination machines,” which are highly sought-after machines due to their specific gameplay offerings or their rarity. It is common for people within the pinball community to travel across the country just to play on specific pinball machines.
“The part of pinball that I love the most is the connection and the community building,” Emily said. “Even when we’re repairing machines on site, I’m engaging with people who are playing some of the machines and learning their stories.”
For Bill, it’s the way pinball creates unexpected connections in the community. “We’ve seen those amazing connections happen; people who run in completely different circles have formed bonds over playing pinball—it’s the game that everyone knew from growing up,” he said. “They may have completely different views on everything , but they love playing pinball with each other, and that’s what we love fostering and that’s what we’ve strived to do.”
Whether you’ve been an avid player for years or never played a single game, pinball is the perfect date night activity for a night out—and it’s budget-friendly! Each machine s only $1 to play, and Fargo Pinball offers an impressive lineup of machines catered to every interest. Check them out at Drekker, Brewhalla, Fargo Billiards, Old Broadway, and now at Dempsey’s new addition room!
Endless Themes to Choose From
From Star Wars to Nascar, the Fargo pinball machines lineup offers endless themes to cater to your pinball wanderlust. Most recently, Fargo pinball held a launch party for their newest addition to the lineup, a ‘jaws’ themed machine.
Check out Fargo Pinball on Facebook for the latest updates and news!
Published June 12, 2024
