The Powderhouse

Going full tilt

by Chamath Ganepola

Forty years ago, teenager Paul E. Silva had one 1946 Seabird Jukebox that he tinkered with as part of his hobby of taking things apart and putting them back together. Five years later, he got a job with Melo-Tone vending, then on Washington Street and now at 130 Broadway, both as a salesman and a technician repairing circuit boards.

Silva said the beginning years were when he made the most money because he was given the territory of downtown Boston stocking the company’s cigarette machines.

“I was making commissions off the machines. I taught myself to fix the machines myself, so I didn’t have to wait for a repairman--and keep the machines going,” he said.

“In those days, when ships came into the Boston, like freighters of Navy ships for repairs, we would put cigarette machines and pinball games onboard for as long as they were in port,” he said.

Eventually, Silva made the transition to full-time technician by taking night classes at MIT and the Radio Electronic Television School.

Silva also started doing repairs on the side for individual home owners of jukeboxes, pinball machines and video games. His side business started with him taking on projects for some friends. Soon, word of mouth business turned the occasional job into a small company with a regular stream of jobs. The company that he named PinballsPlus operates out of his house at 370 Highland Ave, he said.

Unexpectedly, Silva said he was laid off from Melo-Tone three years ago and decided to devote himself full time to Pinballsplus.

Paul E. Silva

“I work out of my garage and I make my own hours. I have had offers from other vendors, but I like being my own boss and not punching anymore clocks,” he said.

After being laid off, Silva said he had the garage insulated, electrical and phone lines set up, and installed a boiler, donated by a customer, to heat his new home office and work shop.

Silva has received an immeasurable amount of support from his wife of 42 years, Dorothea M. Silva. When a new machine comes in, she does the majority of the external refurbishment while he does the electrical, internal repairs, he said.

“I take them apart screw by screw, piece by piece and make it look clean as the day it came out of the factory, if the machine lets me,” Dorothea said.

This Mike's on

by Chamath Ganepola

In 1980, Raymond Terranova bought out the owners of Mike’s Food and Spirits, a struggling franchisee of a Canadian restaurant chain.

Drawing on his own heritage, he created a new, diverse menu of Italian American dishes and, with the help of his wife Diane M. and daughter Maria A. has provided an affordable, friendly dining experience in Davis Square for the last 27 years. 

This simple formula has made Mike’s a Davis Square mainstay despite changes in the surrounding community’s demographic.

“We haven’t changed but the Davis Square area has changed. It used to be factory workers. Now it’s young professionals,” Terranova said.

Teranova wanted to create a menu with something for everyone. This is why he says Mike’s offers so many different pasta, chicken, veal and seafood meals while still offering quicker items like pizzas, wraps, subs and burgers, he said.

“People ask why do you have such a big menu. Well, some stuff sells and some does not, but it’s there. That is the only way you can compete,” he said.