Farmington Hills Arcade-Museum Struggles To Get By
CBS Detroit - A drive up Orchard Lake Road into Farmington Hills will take you to a strip mall with a unique gem inside. Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum is an arcade filled with antique and unique arcade games and pinball machines. Before COVID-19 it was like being transported to a boardwalk arcade from another time.
Post COVID-19 the museum has had to close due to the governor's orders, and now they say they are having a tough time keeping up with the bills. Marvin Yagoda established the museum in the Tally Hall/Hunter Square Shopping Center after decades of collecting and restoring old coin-operated arcade games and memorabilia. With many going on a century in age, his son Jeremy took over the business after his father's death in 2017.
In the video above, originally aired for Eye on Detroit in May 0f 2015, we took a look inside the museum-arcade with its founder, the late Marvin Yagoda.
Credit: marvin3m.com
Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum is under financial strain as they cannot reopen until Governor Whitmer puts Southeast Michigan into Phase 5 of Michigan's reopening plan. According to the Detroit News, this has put a financial hardship on the business as they rack up $10,000 a month in bills from rent, insurance, and maintenance. Like many other theaters, gyms, and bowling alleys, this has made it tough for them to stay afloat for song long.
Owner Jeremy Yagoda has set up a GoFundMe to help raise funds, and since Tuesday they garnered almost $32,000 of a $75,000 goal. Yagoda told The Detroit News, "We're a philanthropic family and it's hard to ask for help. But we just can't keep going without it,". He also said that as these machines sit idle, it actually puts more stress on them as they were made to be used.
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