Marvin's Museum, a Farmington Hills mainstay, fighting plan to replace it with a Meijer

Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press
·2 min read
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Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum — a suburban Detroit attraction that has delighted vintage arcade lovers for years — may be facing the wrecking ball to make way for a new Meijer, according to city plans, the museum owner and news reports.

That is unless the quirky attraction can be saved.

The issue is on the Farmington Hills Planning Commission agenda for 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

The busy and fun interior of Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. The arcade that has been popular in the area going back to the late 1980’s is facing a vote on Thursday with the city of Farmington Hills along with other businesses in the shopping area at Orchard Lake and 14 Mile that could turn the location into a Meijer.

The new development is slated to go where the museum is, on the west side of Orchard Lake Road, just south of 14 Mile; and in the past few days, the museum has begun to fight it.

The conflict is being framed by social and traditional news media as a deep-pocket corporation pushing out a unique, local establishment and whether sentiment and schmaltz can prevail over profit and progress.

"If you truly love this Farmington Hills gem and don’t want to see it go away you better show up,” a note from someone self-identified as an employee "back in the 80s," wrote that the museum reposted on Facebook. “Yes, it’s very true. Sad."

The note urges people to tell the commission they "want Marvin’s to stay."

The new development plans are on the planning commission’s website.

News accounts of the proposed development and showdown confirmed the Grand Rapids grocer’s interest in opening a smaller-format store there. And in the past few days, they added, there has been a groundswell of support for the museum.

An online petition, Save Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum, on Change.org points out: "Now is the time to act before we lose this eighth wonder of the world." As of early Thursday, had about 18,000 signatures.

The 5,000-square-foot museum, which features a collection of coin-operated games and animatronic exhibits, was started by Marvin Yagoda, who died in 2017. It is now owned by his son, Jeremy Yagoda.

"I’m not going to be able to be at the meeting," the Yagoda presumably posted on Facebook under the museum name, explaining he will be at an industry trade show, adding: "I have been talking to my landlord about plans and possible options, met the mayor-elect of Farmington Hills this AM, talked to several city council members already."

The post added that the landlord and city are "aware of my concerns and passion for continuing Marvin’s!!!" and is "fighting tooth and nail every step of the way, if we can’t work something out here, I will be looking for other options."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Marvin's Mechanical Museum could close, be replaced with Meijer