Pinball Long Island, home to about 100 machines, closes in downtown Patchogue

The plug appears to have been pulled for good at Pinball Long Island in Patchogue

The downtown location, a nostalgia-packed parlor with about 100 machines spanning eras of the game, was closed Wednesday afternoon, with its windows covered in brown paper. It's now listed as permanently closed online.

The reasons behind the closure were not immediately clear on Wednesday, and owner Joshua Guskin did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The 5,000-square-foot location offered all-you-can-play admission for $20 per adult and $10 for children ages 10 and younger.

Pinball Long Island had attracted pinball devotees from around the area, and its opening in 2023 was praised by local officials for adding an entertainment option downtown for people too young to drink. The location didn't offer food or drink but had partnered with neighboring restaurants on $30 food and pinball passes.

"It's a shame because it was originally put in place to bring the youths onto Main Street," said Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri. "I don't know why it didn't make it, but it seemed like a neat idea to me."

Howard Siers, 70, said he had made the hourlong trip with his wife to Pinball Long Island from Flushing, Queens, several times to play pinball, most recently in mid-March, when he heard the location would soon close.

Siers, who is retired, said the couple would often grab a meal and spend around three hours at Pinball Long Island, trying out the different machines.

"That’s a perfect date, having dinner or lunch and pinball," Siers said on Wednesday. "For $20, it was modestly priced, so it was no big deal in terms of the budget, so we enjoyed going there."

Siers said he will be looking out for other pinball options nearby, and he’s not sure when the couple might return to the village.

"Pinball was the magnet," he said.

Guskin told Newsday in 2023 the opening was the culmination of two decades of buying and restoring arcade games and pinball machines. Pinball Long Island featured decades worth of pop culture in its pinball games, with themes ranging from "Jaws" to "Shrek." 

"You’re never going to get the same experience on one game," Guskin told Newsday in 2023. 

David Kennedy, executive director of the Village of Patchogue Business Improvement District, said he was disappointed to see Pinball Long Island close and hopes businesses will crop up that cater to people under the drinking age.

"What really excited me the most was that it was appealing to an audience that felt underserved in our downtown right now — teenagers who are not old enough to enjoy the restaurants and bars," said Kennedy, who has two sons, including a 14-year-old. "We need more for them to do."

The parlor had machines built from the 1960s to just a few years ago, and was a place where customers could appreciate the evolution of pinball, said Sal Castilloneso, who owns Arcade Salvation in Huntington Station, which repairs pinball machines and other amusements.

"It’s a shame to see a place like that close because of the variety, and it gets people to remember pinball," he said. "It was a way to see what pinball became."

By Jonathan LaMantia

jonathan.lamantia@newsday.com@jonlamantia

Jonathan LaMantia covers residential real estate and other business news on Long Island. He previously covered the business of health care for Crain's New York Business.