Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum readies for West Bloomfield move: 'It's going to be emotional'
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Grab your quarters and enter a special space for arcade games, antiques and 'uniques' you can't find anywhere else at Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum.
It is about to move locations to a bigger site in West Bloomfield with nearly triple the square footage. But leaving will be bittersweet, says Jeremy Yagoda.
"It’s going to be very emotional walking away from here," he said. "It’s gonna be tough, but I’m excited about what's to come."
Jeremy is the son of the late Marvin himself. It has been located in Farmington Hills for over 30 years, housing an eclectic mish-mash of mechanical toys and games that hold a lot of sentimental memories.
Due to a redevelopment project planned for the strip mall — Marvin's was either going to have to close, or move on.
"It pushed us into the corner to decide to do it the next level, to expand, to have private party rooms, to have more space, expand things out to add new attractions," Yagoda said.
After months of searching, Jeremy says he found the perfect spot in a massive building located just a mile up the road in West Bloomfield. FOX 2 was given the exclusive, first look.
"I’m excited to give it my little spin. I'm never going to get away from what my dad built here, the whole ambiance, the whole idea behind it all, but I’m going to do a bit of subtle changes."
The next step is not so easy - moving hundreds of games and fragile memorabilia by the end of February.
But there is a ton of wild crazy stuff there that’s been in the museum for decades. Most of it is very rare and fragile - for example, how the heck are they going to move 'the world’s tallest man'?
"I’m still trying to figure all that out, one step at a time," Yagoda said. "We’re going to start with getting all the games out, and then work our way up to taking everything off the walls."
FOX 2 consulted with one of the museum attractions, "The Brain" to see what he thinks of the move.
It says "I foresee a great deal of happiness. When opportunity comes, grab it and don’t let it slip through your fingers."
Sounds like some good advice for Jeremy Yagopda as he gets ready to move the beloved museum.
To learn more, go to the website HERE.