Inside the Palmetto Pinball Club

By Jillian Owens 

 

“I feel like we’re about to be kidnapped.”

This isn’t the first time a friend of mine has turned to me and said this, and I sincerely doubt it’ll be the last.

“We’ll be fine. I know this guy. Get in the car,” I replied with a shrug. I could have been more reassuring, but I enjoy gently nudging my friends out of their comfort zones. It’s character building.

Five of us piled into a large SUV and were transported from the safety Craft & Draft to the back of an inconspicuous building further down Devine Street.

A door was unlocked to reveal a dimly lit staircase, which led to a dimly lit hallway. The fluorescents may have been flickering, or maybe that’s how I like to remember it.

A highly suspect 8”x11” computer printout was taped to one of the doors with blue painter’s tape. “Palmetto Pinball Club”, it dubiously promised.

Spoiler alert: No one was kidnapped that evening. 

For those daring enough to find it, Palmetto Pinball Club is one of Columbia’s quirkiest and most awesome secret spaces.

 

Caption: Pinball Wizards!

 

15 or so pinball machines, classic and new, line the walls, and people of all skill levels are welcome here. You can play as long as you like for $5, and monthly memberships are available as well. As all machines are set for free play, no quarters are required.

But how did it get there?

As it turns out, there’s been an underground pinball scene in Columbia for a while. A group of pinball enthusiasts used to play a few times a week at the now-defunct Red Door Tavern. When it closed, they were left with only a few bars or restaurants that had even one machine.

“Last summer, after a competitive pinball tournament in Atlanta, a core group of us decided that we had had enough,” explains Palmetto Pinball Club founder, Patrick Pietras. “So, two of us pooled some money together, and we bought our own pinball table, and we put it at a friends house. Well, we quickly followed with a second machine, then a third. Things were looking up, but we still weren’t totally satisfied. Pinball is best enjoyed in a group, and we wanted a place to play where we could all gather without inconveniencing our friends.”

The group, including SC State Pinball Champion, Heath Ashley, decided the time was right to move their operation to a private club. They combined their pinball machines (six at the time), and moved to their current location at 2740 Devine Street.

Caption: The Original Six

 

When asked why they chose such a secretive locale, Pietras said, “It’s kind of this hidden hole in the wall. Since pinball has always had this kind of subversive, bad-boy, sort of image, I wanted to play on that with a kind of speakeasy kind of feel. It’s like a hidden gem of coolness in Columbia.”

When you’re there, it’s not difficult to tell who the hardcore pinheads are. When at the table, they’re focused and intense. But that’s where the gamer nerd cliché ends. Gaming communities have a reputation for being antisocial, but that’s not the case here. Patrick and the other experienced regulars were incredibly kind and helpful, offering pointers and tips for the different machines.

 

Caption: You know you want to play this.

 

Pietras makes it clear that Palmetto Pinball Club isn’t an exclusive secret society. It’s a community of people who want to share a game they love and rescue it from obscurity. “Pinball has virtually disappeared from the gaming landscape,” he says. “When I was a kid, back in the 70’s and 80’s there were pinball games everywhere: Convenience stores, bowling alleys, bars, laundromats. Now, not so much.”

The club’s Facebook group is up to almost 200 members. From complete newbies, to those with fond memories of late nights dumping quarters into the machines that used to live at the Russell House, to competitive players, the game of Pinball has gotten a nice save by its Columbia enthusiasts.

Click here to join the local Pinball movement.