Nine And 3/4 Portal

One of the coolest Summertime experiences in Santa Cruz are the Friday night, “Free Movies at the Beach” offerings at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. There, the public can park it on the soft sand and watch beloved movies free of charge on the big screen; classics such as the Lost Boys, The Labyrinth, and Goonies, just to name a few. It was there, last month, where my girlfriend Ana and I caught a screening of Bruce Brown’s classic global surf adventure, “The Endless Summer”. 

We were having a hoot, bundled up on the sand watching Robert August and Mike Hynson chase perfect waves in exotic locales such as Africa, New Zealand, and Tahiti. When it came time for intermission, our plan was to kill some time with a few rounds of classic pinball action. When we entered the arcade and explored the litany of arcade cabinets and interactive games, we were met with disappointment. No pinball to be found!

As a youngster, my old man used to bring me there sacrifice countless quarters to their extensive selection of pinball machines, with my favorite being the Adams Family cabinet. Yet this night, after a few laps around the premises, we couldn’t locate one! We abandoned our quest, resigned to a few games of air hockey and attempts at the brutally difficult Mrs. Pac Man. We had a blast, but couldn’t help but feel a bit let down

I would later come to realize that a smaller selection of pinball cabinets were definitely still in the mix at the Boardwalk, only relegated to Neptunes Kingdom, just next door. I can’t fault the Boardwalk for moving their pinball offerings from the arcade in favor of more modern forms of entertainment in order to appeal to a new generation of gamers, but that night, I was crushed. How, I wondered, could I satiate my itch for a few rounds of good, old-fashioned pinball action?

The answer came the following week, in the form of a text message from my good friend, Will Bernardi. He let me know that he and his partner Dean Roblee had opened a pinball headquarters in Soquel called 9 3/4 Portal, named after the magical Hogwarts train station from the Harry Potter series, and that they have nine pristine pinball machines open to the public, along with darts and a deluxe ping-pong table upstairs. He suggested I  pay him a visit to see what it was all about during one of their League Night competitions, held every Tuesday night.

I was ecstatic! When Tuesday rolled around, I made my way to the Portal, located on Soquel Avenue, chomping at the bit to try my luck along with a crew of fellow die-hard pin-heads. I arrived early to get a few practice runs in, as it had been years since I’d properly tested my reflexes.

When I entered the building, I was met with a lively scene: flashing neon lights and loud sound effects, coupled with the loud reports of focused player smashing the flippers in their quest for high scores and pinball glory. When I browsed the variety of classic games such as Godzilla, The Godfather, and The Simpsons, I was overjoyed at the sight of my all-time favorite, The Adams Family! I cozied up to cabinet and played a dozen rounds, my nervous system engulfed by the lights, sounds, and extreme difficulty that met me head-on.

I quickly realized that I was quite rusty, and that truth was reflected in my dismal scores. That didn’t affect my revelry however, and after a few go’s, a wide smile was plastered across my mug. Before their League competition began, I broke away from the stimuli to have a chat with Bernardi and Roblee about their freshly minted pinball haven.

How did you get the idea to open a pinball club? Where did you look for inspiration for your business model?

Bernardi- My mum is a huge pinball fan and has a few up at her house in Scott’s Valley that I fell in love playing. When it came time to open our business, Lynn’s Arcade in Seaside was a big influence on our business model, and inspired us to create a similar pinball community with our own Santa Cruz twist. 

Roblee- Every time I came back to Santa Cruz to play pinball and practice, I was really disappointed with the quality and maintenance of the machines in town. Once I found out Will had a machine and was all stoked on playing, we started going down to Lynns pretty regularly. My original idea for 9 3/4 Portal was to start a Pinball Church…you know, I was thinking that maybe there could be a tax write off there (laughs). It’s almost a religious idea but i couldn’t figure out how to make that happen, although, currently, people are saying we’re running a cult here anyways (laughs). 

So, I sat on the idea for awhile. I had a whole list of names for our space, but couldn’t decide. One night, I was sleeping in the van, in my hammock, just dwelling on it. First, it was Pinball Wizard, which I decided felt kinda played out. I read the Harry Potter series annually, during the Fall. It’s a feel-good thing for me that I get something out of every year. Then, all of the sudden it clicked…quarters…quarters for pinball! Platform 3/4 is the portal that all the wizards go through to reach Hogwarts that normal people can’t see, but those who can know it as a place they can magically travel to another dimension. I thought it was the perfect name for our new business. 

What machines do you have? Which are your favorite and why? How did you obtain them? 

Bernardi– Currently, we have Baywatch, Pulp Fiction, Ninja Turtles, The Simpsons, Godzilla, The Godfather, Houdini, Adams Family, and most recently, Tales of The Arabian Nights.  I purchased five of the pins, and the others have been acquired via lease with members collectors here in SC. 

Roblee- My favorite, right now, is the Pulp Fiction game that we have here on site. I love Tarantino, and apparently he was directly involved in making the cabinet. It’s got all the actors voices with tons of callbacks to the movie. It’s simplistic, but really difficult. I could play that game all night.

What does it cost to play and what are the hours of operation? 

Bernardi– As of now, it cost $20 a day and $60 for a monthly membership. Our hours of operation are 3:30-11:30 PM. We’re closed Mondays.

Roblee- We only have a few games at the moment, so we are trying to keep it affordable. Once you pay the $60 monthly membership, you can come in at anytime and play as much as you want. We take cash/card, whatever payment you’ve got. We have annual pass, which costs $666. We also offer a Lifetime Member Pass, so if you go out and buy us a game that’s on our wishlist, you’re really hooking us up and help us grow, which translates to a lifetime membership!

How are you getting the word out? What’s the reception been like so far?

Bernardi- It’s mainly word of mouth, via friends throughout the SC community. We are also pretty active with our Instagram page, so that helps spread the word.  So far we have been gaining traction quickly and drawing in die hard “pin-heads” along with newcomers who are becoming passionate to improve their skills and have fun! 

Roblee- This being a smaller space, we want a private club vibe. Eventually, we want merchandise. I’m not trying to promote alcohol use but we do want to get a fridge with non-alcoholic beverages like Yerba Mate and other energy drinks and beverages. It’s not the biggest space right now, so to avoid overcrowding, we’re not actively advertising. 

You’re not going to find it unless you’re searching, so it’s basically word of mouth so far. However, there is an app, called Pinball Maps, which directs hardcore pin-heads to all the pinball machines in the area. So I applied, and just a few days ago we started showing up on the map, and it’s been bringing in new members already.

What makes playing pinball so fun? 

Roblee– Well, essentially, it’s just extremely addicting. Kinda like anything that captures your undivided attention, like your cell phone. There are goals and things to do which incentivizes you to get better and better. Flashy lights and fun rewards with tons of interactive features. It releases dopamine and it just flows through your brain, in a way that’s way healthier than doing something like slamming drugs. It’s just good, clean, fun, and really hooks you in.

Bernardi– Come on down and give it a try and you will find out! Its the camaraderie and never ending challenge to better your skills and scores that keeps people coming back for more.

Who else is helping you run the show? How has their help been instrumental in getting the business up and running?

Bernardi– Dean and myself have been running the show on our own.  Our efforts have created an environment that is quickly evolving. Debby Bernardi, my mum, has become an avid collector in recent years, and has leased 3 machines from her collection to help quickly increase and diversify our lineup, which has been a real blessing for the Portal.

What are the challenges inherent in running a business such as 9 3/4 Portal? How do you address and work around them?

Roblee- The biggest thing, for me, is maintenance. These things break all the time, so you have to be really on top of that. We want to provide this experience where people get to play on machines that are working really well. We need a back-stock of parts, so we’re trying to figure that out, but it’s still early days. We’re kinda learning as we go.

Do you have any plans for expansion and growth? What are your dreams for 9 3/4 looking forward?

Roblee– We have some plans to move forward for sure. I want to start assembling some virtual pinball cabinets. We could take the office upstairs and turn it into an assembly. I’m a bit of a tinkerer so that challenge appeals to me. People could play the digital and the analog and then compare. Virtual pinball is a really fun way to play pinball and train. Pinball cabinets take up a ton of space, so that’s another reason this appeals to me. If you invest in one, you’re locked in— you could have 1,000 games or more on one machine!

Bernardi– It’s still early days, so I feel like just taking it one step at a time, but we’ve most definitely got some exciting plans to expand as we grow.  Just stay tuned!

Anything else you’d like to add that’s relevant?

Bernardi- Whether you bomb out in seconds or rack up an all-time high score, the mantra stays the same…”That’s pinball Baby!”

To connect with the 9 3/4 Portal check out their Instagram page @nineand3quartersportal

Stop by for some fun at 3621 Soquel Dr, Soquel, CA, 95073