My daughter's sixteenth birthday was in November and she loves going to the Roanoke Pinball Museum with her dad, so we rented it for her birthday. It is located on the second floor of the Center in the Square in downtown Roanoke. They have over seventy pinball machines from 1932 to present.
I asked the manager, Nic Schell, if I could ask him a few questions about the museum for my blog. Little did I know what an interesting story he had.
Nick worked in IT and finance for years and in June of 2015 decided to travel the country and fix pinball machines. He is self-taught and "just has a natural aptitude for machines". I think his family bought their first machine when he was seven years old. He now owns eighteen and is planning to turn his house into a bed and breakfast.
The pinball travel took off so well it was picked up and made into a show called Nic's North American Pinball Tour. Originally from Dallas, he ended up in Roanoke through his tour and decided to stay here as the museum director. He had traveled 30,000 miles in a year on his tour and ended up with "the coolest job".
Like I always say, "Everyone has a story. Every story matters." You never know anyone's story unless you talk to them.
© 2023 Michelle Gill
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