I don't disagree with you one bit by any of what you said. I will have to disagree with his gofundme/asking for donations. When you are a company that underbudgeted for a move, have well over a million dollars in equity, then asks for 100K to help bail him out? Come on now guys. A pinball circus sale would have easily paid for cost. I can respect what Tim is doing, and I have been to the PHOF one time. I enjoyed my experience and have nothing bad to say about the establishment.

I guess where my reservations lie is the blatant manipulation of the pinball community by asking for donations from a money heavy community. We know this is an expensive hobby, why not capitalize? The community is just as blind for buying in by donating to a cause for a guy that's already swimming in money. He clearly bit off a little more than he could chew, and asks for financial help? Do you see stern, JJP, or any public establishment doing the same? No. They have a sound business model. Equally I think PHOF just used its name to muscle in the already cracked door by using its stake as the largest public place to play in the US. I think any other location that boasts a large public collection to play would never even consider starting a charity to generate revenue. Perhaps only asking for able bodies to donate TIME.

Note his webpage asking for donations
http://pinballmuseum.org/support.php

Also note his webpage showing his donations, but the last one being over a decade ago? Where's all those donations over the last decade Tim? Lets see those contributions.
http://pinballmuseum.org/donate.php

How about a webpage to showcase everyone that donated to the pinball HOF?
Oh we don't have one of those? Surprising. Must be under construction.

Point is that the guy provides a service just like how we all work our 9-5. WE don't get any monetary support from our employer. This is no different, this just pulls on your heart strings because you care. This was a money grab when clearly the funds were there The pictures were an indicator of that.

I want to make this clear, I know I am in the minority for feeling this way, but I equally think it’s one of those “taboo” things to be in the minority about. I am just telling it how I see it and would appreciate valid conjecture to offset my basis.

I am not sure where covid comes into play here.

Yes. Covid happened, and even better yet, pinball prices soared with multiple stimulus being dished out. Essentially making it easier to turn and burn games and come up with scratch. Apparently saving what you can, and focusing on your financial longevity despite what is happening in the world is something people don’t consider anymore.
Perhaps I should live outside my means and ask forgiveness from my home loan institution when I can’t pay my mortgage. But I can start up a charity while I sit on my pinball collection (that could pay my bills) with no intention to sell.

Priorities I guess.

Right, but you’re sitting on probably 2 million dollars of liquidity that directly is related to the business you can’t afford to run because of “unforeseen circumstances”. Instead of trying to put the burden on himself and having to consolidate/sell games, he put the burden on the community threatening that he could close. Closing was never an option, PHOF had everything they needed to run the business from the entertainment side, and to financially sustain in games. I think 20 replaceable sterns would have bumped PHOF to the target. But clearly it wasn’t an option.

I appreciate you elaborating on each of my statements. However each of your statements are focused around the same 3 concepts. COVID, charity being option, and more importantly, not selling what you have on the floor because it’s your bread and butter.

The plain fact is PHOF could have sacrificed 10% or less of its games to save the other 90%+ that’s still on the floor. Despite COVID, that money was there before, during, and after the start of covid. The funny thing is that PHOF was boasted for having over 1000 games. We all know social distancing limits their space, but those games not on the floor could have been sold and bought back with PROFITS.

I’d also like to add, I’ve never seen an advertised charity on every single social media/relatable website, and I believe locally (don’t hold me to it). We all know the big charities out there that advertise heavily. But at least those charities are used as a vessel to help people in actual need.
The idea of the charity is to allow people to seek you, not for you to predatorily seek people’s wallets. I didn’t see any of the heavy hitter locations (leaving nameless) utilize the same method to generate income.

I don’t know how other locations around the US have sustained, but I am sure it ends 2 ways. Either the business has folded up due to financial strife, or the business figures it out and makes it through COVID.

COVID sucked. But in this situation, money fixed it all. I just don’t like the way that money was acquired.

If this topic was about the national arm chair museum, nobody would care to defend.

I’m sorry my words hurt.