For the past 32 years, Marvelous Marvin’s Mechanical Museum has resided in the Orchard Place Shopping Center in Farmington Hills, bringing games and fun to children and adults alike through its arcade games, antique decorations, and one-of-a-kind attractions.

   Recently, however, Marvin’s has been at risk of closure because of the possible redevelopment of the shopping mall where it is located. Since hearing about this impending change, the Metro Detroit community has rallied their support for Marvin’s.

   On November 16, a large crowd gathered at the Farmington Hills Planning Commission meeting to show their love for Marvin’s and concerns about its closing. Marvelous Marvin’s General Manager, Andrew Rosenfeld, talked about the surge of support he saw at the Planning Commission meeting.

  “The community has been tremendous. The amount of people who showed up to that meeting, there were more people than the building could hold, they were literally lined up out the door!” He said.

   The result of the meeting ended with a unanimous vote in which the commission decided that a cosmetic change needed to happen for the strip mall. However, this does not mean automatically closing the Mechanical Museum – there is still a City Council vote that needs to happen, and even if that passes there are still ways for Marvin’s to survive.

   “If they can carve out a spot for us or possibly build around us, there’s just a lot of variables right now and unfortunately there’s a lot ‘up in the air,’ we really don’t know either way what we’re going to do.” Said Rosenfeld.

   On the other hand, relocation of Marvin’s would be the hardest means of survival. As Metro Detroiters know, Marvin’s is not solely an arcade, but also a collection of antiques, rare objects, and old fashioned games. When put together, if the place needed to relocate, it would be extremely difficult to move. Rosenfeld explains why it is important that Marvin’s stays where it is.

   He said, “I just don’t know how we would dismantle this place and reassemble it – it’s almost insurmountable to do it – so, that alone would be important that we stay where we are.” 

   There are many unknown outcomes for Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum at the moment, but what is definite is the longstanding support from the Marvin’s community, and the actions being taken to preserve it.