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December 19, 2024 - Image 4

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2024-12-19

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

A

fter two-and-a-half decades
at its current location
in Hunter’s Square in
Farmington Hills, Marvin’s Marvelous
Mechanical Museum is finally saying
goodbye — but not for good.
It isn’t game over just yet for the
iconic vintage arcade, attraction and
family hangout that’s served Metro
Detroit’s Jewish community since its
initial founding in 1980, when it was
originally located at Tally Hall. After
Tally Hall closed, the museum moved
to Hunter’s Square in 1990.
Now, after struggling to survive
during COVID-19 and its future up
in the air amidst plans to demolish a
portion of Hunter’s Square to build a
new Meijer supermarket, which would
include the museum’s 5,300-square-
foot space, it’s game on for the whimsi-
cal and beloved attraction.
Current owner Jeremy Yagoda, son
of founder and Jewish community
member Marvin Yagoda, announced
on Facebook that Marvin’s Marvelous
Mechanical Museum is set to move to
West Bloomfield. It will be located in
Orchard Mall next to Planet Fitness, in

the former Sav-On Drugs space.

THE NEXT CHAPTER
Nearly triple the size at 14,000 square
feet, the new space gives the museum
a chance to grow its reach with sev-
eral private party rooms for birthday
parties, new games, photo booths
and, of course, the countless vintage
collectibles and memorabilia that
Marvin Yagoda carefully curated over
the decades. “The Brain” and other
cherished animatronics aren’t going
anywhere.
Yet fans of the vibrant and eclec-
tic space have a final chance to drop
quarters in the vintage machines at the
Hunter’s Square location, which will
close its doors for good after Jan. 5.
The business will then take a short
break as buildout commences at the
West Bloomfield site, which Yagoda
hopes will be ready to welcome long-
time guests and new visitors by late
spring.
“We are so excited to start the
next chapter for Marvin’s Marvelous
Mechanical Museum,
” he says. “My
dad used to say when life gives you

lemons, make lemonade.
“That’s what we’re doing,
” adds
Yagoda, who took over the family
business in 2017 after his father passed
away. “We’re taking this opportunity to
expand our marvelous museum.

For several years, Metro Detroiters
eagerly awaited news of the museum’s
future following a GoFundMe during
COVID-19 that raised $75,000 to pay
rent for the building. Most recently,
54,000 people signed a Change.org
petition in 2023 to keep the business
at its Farmington Hills location after it
was announced that the space was set
to be demolished for a new Meijer.

RALLYING FOR MARVIN’S
Now, the community is thrilled
to learn that Marvin’s Marvelous
Mechanical Museum will live on in
virtually the same area about a mile
north of its longtime Hunter’s Square
storefront.
“I’m so happy that Marvin’s found
a new home,
” says Marianne Milgrom
Bloomberg of Farmington Hills, who
works at Jewish Federation of Detroit.
“It’s wonderful that it isn’t far from

their longtime location in Farmington
Hills. Marvin’s has been a meaningful
part of my family’s history. I went there
as a teen and then brought my kids
there while they were growing up.

Now, Milgrom Bloomberg is eager
to visit the new location with her
great-nieces and nephews, so they, too,
“can experience the magic of Marvin’s
Marvelous Mechanical Museum.

NEXTGen Detroit board member
Sydnie Saltz of Sylvan Lake also has
fond memories of spending her child-
hood years at Marvin’s Marvelous
Mechanical Museum.
“It’s a hometown Jewish staple that
brings childhood memories back to
life,
” she says. “You go there, and you
feel like a kid again.

Saltz, who frequented the museum
with her “Bubbie” and “Poppie,
” says
she “can’t wait for the next generations
to enjoy it for years to come.

Marlee Shifman, marketing manager
at The J-Detroit, worked at Marvin’s
Marvelous Mechanical Museum as a
teenager, where she gained early job
skills still used today.
“Marvin’s has been a staple in so
many of our lives,
” she says. “Growing
up in Farmington Hills, some of my
earliest memories were at the arcade. I
wouldn’t be where I am now without
my time at Marvin’s. I worked there
throughout high school, and it was my
first glimpse into the working world.
While I will miss the original location,
I’m so thrilled to see what comes next.

Jewish makeup artist Francie
Fruitman is also looking forward to the
museum’s future.
“I can’t imagine a more perfect fit
for their new home,
” says Fruitman,

who has frequented the arcade since its
Tally Hall days. “Orchard Mall has a lot
of fond memories for many of us here
as well. I think the new location can
only benefit the businesses around it.

It’s the “marvelous” community sup-
port, Yagoda explains, that’s encour-
aged Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical
Museum to push through the tough
times and forge a new path forward.
“It’s humbling to see how much my
father’s passion has touched people,
” he
says. “I’m honored to be able to keep it
going.


Jeremy Yagoda stands in
the space that will be home
to a bigger and better Marvin’s
Marvelous Mechanical Museum.

The long-running attraction and family hangout
will soon be housed in Orchard Mall.

Marvin’s Marvelous
Mechanical Museum
Set to Move to
West Bloomfield

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

OUR COMMUNITY

12 | DECEMBER 19 • 2024 J
N

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