![]() ![]() Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for. "When we can't identify a natural cause to a fire, we generally bring the detectives in to help us," Chamberlain said. Ann Arbor police detectives also are investigating. More than 600 U-M students were evacuated, and four apartments had heavy smoke and water damage.Ĭhamberlain didn't have a damage estimate. The blaze on South University Avenue forced evacuations of nearby buildings, including the high-rise University Towers. The fire appears to have started in the northwest corner of that floor, according to Chamberlain. The building hasn't been occupied since 2001 and was boarded up, but access could easily be gained to the upper floor, Chamberlain said. Neighbors told yesterday the building was a haven for young loiterers and possibly squatters. And food containers with recent expiration dates were found inside, she said. There were no active utilities in the building, she said. “Seeing the familiar faces, people that are regular customers coming back in to support us along with the crazy amount of support that the fundraiser has generated over the last two or three days, I am very hopeful for the next year, and I hope that the business can return to normal,” Reynolds said.Flames shoot from the old Pinball Pete's building in Ann Arbor Saturday night. Reynolds said he thinks that, with sustained community support, there is a good chance the arcade can make it through the COVID-19 pandemic. We know everyone is having their own financial struggles right now, and we’re part of that group of people.” Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from everyone at Pete’s OPEN HOURS We are going to be re-opening the Ann Arbor. “We had no idea if there would be that much support, if anyone would really pay it any mind. ![]() Many donors have shared personal stories of their experiences at the arcade. Reynolds said his family is touched by the outpouring of support on the GoFundMe, which has received over 1,000 individual donations. “It’s been so much entertainment for all of my friends the past four years.” “As someone who is (by) no means from a high-income family, I think Pinball Pete’s is an awesome, unique local arcade, and I was genuinely disappointed about the rumors about it closing,” Chan said. Chan said the Reddit post made him fearful that the business, which had been a central part of his college experience, would not survive the pandemic. “I don’t think there’s any (other) arcade really around Ann Arbor - it just seems like an important part of campus.”Įngineering senior Charles Chan said he would frequently take friends and family to Pinball Pete’s when they visited Ann Arbor. “It’s kind of unfortunate to see so many businesses close where you’ve formed memories of your friends from college,” Li said. LSA senior Jasmine Li said it is sad to see how many local businesses have had to shut their doors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The arcade attracts loyal customers, many of whom fear that the business’ financial struggles could lead to its closure. “At the moment we don’t have the capital or all the employees that we would need to be open for five to six days a week.”įor many Ann Arbor residents and students, Pinball Pete’s has been an important part of their community and college experience. “We’re essentially just trying to work our way back up to maintainable hours, we’re trying to start with the weekends where more people might be able to make it out into the stores,” Reynolds said. According to Reynolds, they are planning on starting with weekend hours and expanding once they are able. Reynolds said Saturday was the first day in a long time Pinball Pete’s was able to open. They cap the number of customers allowed inside in order to maintain social distancing and require masks and temperature checks for all customers. Pinball Pete’s is currently open under modified hours, which are announced through Facebook. “During that period of time that we were required to be closed, we still did have to pay for rent and utilities and taxes and everything.” “We’ve kept the business alive since then, but at this point in time with eight to 12 months of absolutely no foot traffic in the stores, we’re at the point where we don’t really have any other option than to create a fundraiser to try to offset the costs,” Reynolds said. Reynolds said the fundraiser would help keep Pinball Pete’s in business for an additional year with limited operations. Nick Reynolds, Pinball Pete’s social media manager and the son of owner Mike Reynolds, explained the arcade was classified as a non-essential business, meaning it had to completely close for much of the year. On Thursday, Pinball Pete’s announced in a Facebook post that they were reopening Saturday. Last week, rumors that Pinball Pete’s was closing spread rapidly on social media after a now-deleted Reddit post claimed the business had shut down.
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