Nepean Will Soon Have Canada's Largest Pinball Arcade

Ottawa's pinball entrepreneur Mike Loftus is moving his arcade to the former Brass Monkey rock bar location in Nepean, transforming it into Experience Social — what will become Canada's largest pinball arcade.

Loftus's current arcade on Baseline Road is packed: 30 pinball machines crammed into a modest space that's often standing-room-only on busy days. "You couldn't squeeze one more of anything in there," he said. "On the busy days, it's standing room only. We've definitely outgrown the location."

Experience Social will occupy more than 7,500 square feet at 250 Greenbank Road in the Greenbank Hunt Club Centre, with ample free parking — a flagship location that Loftus plans to fill with over 100 machines. The concept, Loftus explained, aims to recapture "the vibe before the pandemic" when people hung out in person to play games without cellphones dominating the space.

"We don't want to be a major bar; this will be an entertainment venue that happens to have a liquor licence," Loftus said. "We want it to be a place where you bring your kids, your grandparents and everybody feels cool. It's going to have a little bit of everything for everyone."

Pinball has been experiencing a resurgence since the COVID-19 lockdowns. During pandemic stay-home advisories, prices on used machines skyrocketed as people looked for home hobbies and had money to spend. Supply disruptions on new stock further fuelled demand. "It was like the rush on toilet paper," Loftus joked, "except these are $10,000 machines."

Loftus's pinball empire extends beyond the arcade. His Pinball Medic handles repairs, parts, and service, and last year he opened the Pinball Museum near Alfred to showcase vintage machines. His online store saw booming sales during the pandemic.