NOVEMBER 30 • 2023 | 37
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ultimately rest on private entities.
As the community rallies in
support of Marvin’s Marvelous
Mechanical Museum, an ongoing
Change.org petition (www.
change.org/p/save-marvin-s-
marvelous-mechanical-museum)
to save the museum has garnered
nearly 40,000 signatures at press
time.
Metro Detroiters say another
Meijer isn’t necessary, especially
because there are numerous
grocery stores (including two
Meijers) within 15-20 minutes of
the plaza at 14 Mile and Orchard
Lake roads.
Others say Marvin’s is a
landmark that should be
“protected at all costs.
”
“You’ll always remember
your first visit to Marvin’s,
” says
Nathan Silverman, 41, of West
Bloomfield. Stumbling upon the
museum accidentally as a child
while visiting the plaza with his
parents, Silverman was handed
four quarters to play games and
fell in love.
“The nostalgia overwhelmed
me,
” he says. “The Ninja Turtles
and the Simpsons games were
my go-to there, along with
getting a kick out of some of the
animatronics.
”
Now, Silverman takes his own
children to Marvin’s. “We were
excited to share a cherished
childhood spot [with them],
” he
says. “I hope for a compromise
that will bring happiness to
everyone, ensuring many more
memories at Marvin’s will be
made.
”
Rachel Matzkin-Bridger,
meanwhile, went on her first
date with her husband, Todd,
at Marvin’s when they were
teenagers at West Bloomfield
High School.
“There was a machine where
you made your own silver coin
with words on them,
” Matzkin-
Bridger, 44, of West Bloomfield,
recalls. “My brother and I used to
make them as gifts for my family.
My Grandma Sarabel and I kept
the coins in our wallet for good
luck.
”
A FARMINGTON HILLS ICON
Like many who visited the
museum in their youth, Matzkin-
Bridger has passed on the trad-
ition to her own children, who
attended Hillel Day School, and
shared many fond memories
together at the local staple.
Still, it’s Marvin Yagoda himself
who often plays an integral role
in those memories.
“There was truly no one like
Marvin,
” Matzkin-Bridger says.
“He knew everyone and made
you feel special, like you were his
favorite customer.
”
Sara Kalish of West Bloomfield,
whose mother, Dharlene Norris,
once worked with Marvin
Yagoda on Detroit Jewish
News advertising, echoes that
sentiment.
“Marvin would fill up our
cups with quarters and we played
games for what felt like hours,
”
Kalish says of her childhood. “I
was so happy to have my own
daughter’s birthday party there
last year.
”
There’s a common sentiment
throughout the Metro Detroit
community that “they just
don’t make places like Marvin’s
anymore.
”
The nearly 40,000 individuals
who signed the Change.org
petition are just a fraction of
locals and visitors alike who want
to see the museum continue for
generations to come.
“The building should be
designated as a historic site,
” one
signee writes.
“Marvin might not be with us
anymore, but his dream should
continue to live on,
” another
supporter echoes. “Marvin’s
Marvelous Mechanical Museum
is a place of joy, wonder and
curiosity. In a world lacking such
things, why destroy a place such
as this?”