Friday, June 22, 2012
The owner said business has exceeded his expectations.
Orbit Pinball Lounge, in Maplewood, made it official on Wednesday. The Maplewood Chamber of Commerce crowd enjoyed some pinball and skeeball, and helped owner Michael Stivers cut the ribbon on his new spot on Sutton Boulevard. He said business on Fridays and Saturdays has been consistently good and it's starting to pick up during the week. "It's exceeded my expectations," Stivers said. He had a surprise last week. Some folks from St. Louis Magazine walked in and gave him an A-List Award. Stivers is open to hosting parties, and so far has held going-away parties for employees of Maplewood businesses, Foundation Grounds and Moosylvania. He said he's also hosted birthday parties, and he's fine with people bringing in their own food. Next …
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Owner said the pinball machines have been played beyond his expectations. Skeeball leagues to start soon.
Orbit Pinball Lounge, at 7401 Hazel Avenue (at Sutton Boulevard) in Maplewood, is the new spot to play pinball or skeeball in St. Louis. It weathered Mothers Day weekend, a blocked street during Taste of Maplewood, and now Memorial Day Weekend, but owner Michael Stivers is happy with his first couple weeks. “There’s been a lot of positive response the first week,” he said. “It’s something different in the neighborhood to do. People have been playing games beyond my expectations.” Vintage pinball machines are made into tables and decorate the walls. The hanging lamps and purple bamboo facing the it give it a Tiki bar feel. There are 10 pinball machines and three skeeball lanes. Stivers said the Simpsons and Starship Troopers are his …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Stop by Orbit, at Sutton and Hazel in Maplewood, on Thursday or Friday evening. The door should be open.
Two months ago, Michael Stivers said his pinball lounge, Orbit, would open in three weeks. One issue led to another. On Monday night, for example, bartender Rich Bullard inspected the gleaming surface of the bar and found bubbles. It will have to be redone. He and owner Michael Stivers were hoping to open last night. Now, “we're thinking Thursday, absolutely,” Bullard said. “If Thursday doesn't happen, it will be Friday at the latest.” He said it won’t be a big opening. Enough people stop by on any given night just to check it out, Bullard said. He said Stivers wants to make sure everything is running smoothly before they do any advertising. There's nothing wrong with the pinball machines though. Patch took him up on a game of Starship …
Monday, March 5, 2012
Orbit will open soon at the corner of Sutton Boulevard and Hazel Avenue. Owner Michael Stivers hopes to get some competitive skeeball leagues going.
Maplewood is already known as a place to go for a great meal. Now a new Sutton Boulevard business featuring pinball and skeeball as main attractions will be the place to go for a good time. Michael Stivers is the owner of Orbit Pinball Lounge, which should open in about three weeks. He said the number of places people can go to do something is shrinking. The business won approval at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting last May. “The goal is to get people off their phones and actually talking to other people,” he said. “It’s 21 and over, so it’s more of an adult–orientated place.” There is something about a pinball machine that can’t be replicated on a computer, he said. “The machine is shaking, the ball is flying around, lights are …
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Five residents objected to the bar's location on Hazel Avenue.
Limited hours and no live music were among the restrictions placed on a new bar's patio by Maplewood City Council on Tuesday night. TILT, a bar that will feature vintage pinball machines and two Skee ball lanes, gained preliminary approval from the council after five residents objected to the bar's placement in what one of them considers a residential area. The bar is set to open at 7401-05 Hazel Avenue, in the location that formerly housed CooperElla. “I’ve lived on Hazel for 15 years and we’ve had things come and go on the corner, but it is a residential street and I’m very concerned about noise, parking and, since the people can’t smoke inside, that means they have to come outside," said resident Patricia Trout during a public hearing…
38.610897
-90.320112
7401 Hazel Ave, Maplewood, MO
/articles/new-bar-gains-city-council-approval-amid-noise-concerns
/locations/4450713
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Business permits for a restaurant, bar and two auto-related shops gained preliminary approval on Monday night.
A bar featuring vintage pinball machines was among four business petitions* approved by the Maplewood Planning and Zoning Commission during a meeting on Monday night. Michael Stivers sought a permit to open the bar on the corner of Sutton Boulevard and Hazel Avenue, in the building that previously housed Cooperella Cafe and House of Art. His business will feature a limited menu, a full service bar, two Skee ball lanes and several pinball machines. Stivers hopes to start a competitive Skee ball league with small teams, seasons, statistics and prizes. While more popular on the East Coast, the concept has made it's way to the Midwest. One other league exists in St. Louis, which doesn't bother Stivers. "Ok, I'm not the first, but I'll be the…
38.612883
-90.325941
Maplewood City Hall
7601 Manchester Rd, Maplewood, MO
/articles/bar-with-skee-ball-pinball-hopes-to-open-in-maplewood
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Doug Miner
8:14 am on Friday, June 22, 2012
You are correct, Mr. Greenberg! Fixed! more ›