05/21/2026
So, it’s the early 1940's. War clouds are clearly gathering on the horizon but you really hope that everything stays overseas and F.D.R. keeps us out of the fracas...after all, you saw the trenches of World War I. Here in Kalamazoo you've just opened a new restaurant and, well, business is slow, I mean really slow. You decide that to boost your numbers you need to bring in a younger crowd...after all, Kalamazoo is a college town…but how? One of your friends tells you that their daughter loves this new thing called a coin-operated electronic phonograph or jukebox for short. Apparently, it’s a device that plays the latest hits when you “drop a coin.” Several local restaurants and soda fountains have them and they are doing very well. Hearing this you decide that this “jukebox” thing is the answer you’re looking for but…where does one buy such a contraption. That is where King-Pin Games come in. Located on the northwest corner of South Mills Street and Jackson Street (826 South Mills), King-Pin is listed in the city directory as being a distributor of coin-operated amusement machines, automatic phonographs (a.k.a. jukeboxes), etc. Hopefully this will be the boost to make you a successful restaurateur.
King-Pin was a distributor of electronic entertainment for many years in the Kalamazoo area. This image, which looks northwest, was taken on December 11th, 1941. As of 2026 this building still stands however, the brick exterior has been covered and the house, visible in the image, has been demolished to make way for an extension on the building which is currently home to Lightning Kicks Martial Arts Academy.
