"When Mike Moretti opened "The Art of Picture Framing", a friend of his, who owned a demolition business and just finished a job, approached him and asked if he wanted a pinball machine for his breakroom. "I was like, 'oh man, no, they're really heavy,'" Moretti said. "My crew just needs to focus on getting work done." Moretti would later hire his friend's son, and when his friend, John, passed away a few years later, Moretti was again asked about the pinball machine."
""Employees would come in on their day off," Moretti said. "And then somebody added us to 'The Pinball Map', which is a crowd-sourced pinball map, and people started coming to play pinball." One machine turned into two, and two turned into too many before Moretti had an idea. At a time when his framing business was slow, he decided to lean into the pinball machines as a secondary source of income."
""But I also told the crew that kept asking for the pinball machines that if we're going to do this, it needs to have a great presentation," Moretti said. "because that's what we do, we're framers. It's all about presentation. And so, we need the art to go with the machines, we need the space to look good. A warm environment that people feel safe in.""
Mike Moretti opened The Art of Picture Framing and accepted a pinball machine originally intended for his crew's breakroom. Employees used the machine on days off and the shop was added to The Pinball Map, drawing outside visitors. Moretti expanded the collection until it outgrew the breakroom purpose and created The Flipper Room to generate supplemental income during slow periods. The space integrates framed art and thoughtfully curated presentation to match the framing business and foster a warm, safe environment. The Flipper Room hosts tournaments, fundraisers, and weekly league nights, with community feedback guiding game selection.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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