Send in the clowns: Iconic Shorty’s makes a move
Jul 10, 2019, 11:45 AM | Updated: Jul 12, 2019, 8:59 am
Seattle is a pinball player鈥檚 paradise. Hundreds of machines fill dozens of arcades and bars across the city, including at the iconic Shorty鈥檚 in Belltown. The Coney Island themed bar is known as the birthplace of Seattle鈥檚 pinball culture and is also famous for its vast collection of creepy clown art.
When Shorty’s was forced to move to a new location on Tuesday, the owner decided the only proper way to do it was with a parade of clowns.
鈥淲e love you Shorty鈥檚,鈥� screamed the face painted clowns outside the bar鈥檚 original location near Second Avenue and Bell Street. They made a ruckus with kazoos, whistles, and horns.
鈥淚t was the first dive pinball bar that Seattle ever had,鈥� said Honi Harrison, wearing zebra stripe stockings and a matching coat. 鈥淚t is Coney Island themed and full of clowns and it鈥檚 terrifying.鈥�
Pinball with police: What Seattle cops are doing in the ID
Harrison said she鈥檚 been coming to Shorty鈥檚 almost daily since moving to Seattle four years ago.
鈥淭his is a historic day in Shorty鈥檚 history,鈥� Harrison said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 moving just down the road so all of the pinball machines will be moving down the street in a spectacle for the locals to enjoy.鈥�
Shorty鈥檚 move marks the end of a 22-year-run at its original location. The building that houses the bar is slated for redevelopment. So, send in the clowns to pack up the place and haul the pinball machines down the block.
Carefully transferred on special pinball-dollys, the clowns rolled the machines to their new home, bringing along a slice of Seattle spunk and history.
鈥淪horty鈥檚 is one place that is emblematic of a Seattle that people know and love,鈥� said Dyer Oxley, co-host of the . Shorty鈥檚 was the seed that planted the city鈥檚 pinball craze in the late ’90s, according to Oxley.
鈥淪horty鈥檚 was the place where a scene actually lived and existed for years,鈥� he said. 鈥淎fter a while, of course, this snowball started and next thing you know there are pin crawls throughout Seattle, where you can go from pub-to-pub and just play different machines throughout an entire day or night.鈥�
Kate Folchert showed up to Shorty鈥檚 on Tuesday, moving day, to pay her respects. The retired waitress of 40 years said she worked nearby the bar in the late ’90s when Shorty鈥檚 first opened.
鈥淎ll of the staff from all the restaurants used to congregate here,鈥� Folchert said. She鈥檚 thrilled her favorite hang will be around for another generation of 鈥渇ree spirits.鈥�
鈥淭he spirit of Shorty鈥檚 is something that you cannot take away from just a building,鈥� Folchert said. 鈥淚鈥檓 70 years old and I鈥檝e always been that clown.鈥�
Photos: Thousands attend NW Pinball expo in Tacoma
Shorty鈥檚 owner, Avout Vander Werf, agreed the customers are really the main attraction, not the pinball or the bar鈥檚 iconic cigar-smoking clown logo. He said the new Shorty鈥檚 will survive only if the same characters come for the show.
鈥淏ut will they like it?鈥� asked Vander Werf. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l find themselves on a different bar stool in a different spot in a different building. They may not like it or they may be ecstatic and say, 鈥楾his is great. This is better than before.鈥欌��
Vander Werf will find out soon enough. Shorty’s reopens at its new Belltown location July 12.
Who hired these clowns?! Shorty鈥檚 moves its bar!
鈥� Mike Lewis (@MikeLew65)
