Here's a classic Otaku comment:

07/17/2020: "I have tens of thousands of people waiting to come back, and our heavy social media presence has not waned."

Should have been plenty of cashflow from them once they re-opened....

The owner has a long history of asking for money and not being honest (I am thinking this is at least his third or fourth GoFundMe). Burnt many bridges here (he never did anything personally to me, but he did not impress me at all from his behavior on here). I am not the best to summarize everything, but here is the old locked thread where a lot of the drama occurred.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/gameseum-gaming-gala-sept-15

If he has a sustainable business model, I would think he should be able to get a business loan to help him get through these tough times.

He's also made many posts on Facebook over the last year or two of new games he has bought. Where was he getting the money to afford and buy those games if the shutdown effected him that greatly? I think using the pandemic to try and mooch more money now is just an excuse...

For those not on Facebook:

"And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all, and I stood tall
And did it my way."

Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

Gameseum at 27 N State St: June 2019 - February 2023

DO NOT ASK TO BUY GAMES

It has been a truly miraculous, awe-inspiring, wonderful 4 years. There is not enough paper in the world to record the entire story nor all of the wonderful moments that have occured at Gameseum in our 4+ years in Ephrata, especially as the town's leading attraction.

Our last day of operating was January 1st and 75% of the building is already empty (an eerie sight in the craziest way).

Unfortunately without any savings from COVID-19 (I lost over $80,000), this extremely rough economy, continued displeasure with Ephrata (not the people) compared to towns like Lititz, and dealing with too many medical issues combined with no speedbump-allowance in such a high-risk situation post-COVID,
I have voluntarily made what I feel is the right decision (I've never made a wrong one!) to close Gameseum here, a privilege provided to few through COVID to not plow it into the ground like a bat out of hell.
As of right now all the machines are in my possession and stored in a different location (get the Advil, holy shit).

I would say keep following the page for any updates. Game over, or press start to continue?

I would like to thank:

First and foremost my mother Ursula Nattermann for countless long nights of support,

My cousin Jennifer Craig for making this all possible by loaning a 20 year old $4,000 for my security deposits (I was $0.00 during the opening of Gameseum and it paid off),

My girlfriend Haleigh Opalka for countless nights of moving things during this past month and not abandoning me when the going gets tough (*cough*),

My best friend Andy Wittig for moving countless machines up countless staircases over a few years (he was my "stair guy")
as well as countless ways of support,

Spenser Brossman of Complete In Box,

Sierra Hrubochak of Griddle & Grind LLC,

Laura Merkel ("Laura The Cookie Lady"),

Kelly Withum (formerly), Lisa Willwerth, and others of Mainspring of Ephrata,

The church that gave us an $1,000 check during COVID,

Gino Caruso (DDR 4 lyfe!),

Christopher Koehnlein,

Luis Lopez,

Jamie & Chloe Kohl,

Sara Achenbach,

Jason & Karen Rieker,

Matthew Gold,

Lauren from Maryland,

all of our regulars,

all of the people that donated to our several fundraisers,

and all of our wonderful customers.

Steven Van Splinter Jr.
Owner, CEO, Founder, Mechanic

It appears all of the charges were dismissed on 03/28/2023.

temp (resized).JPG

I glanced but didn't look in depth. I saw a lot of the vehicle stuff, but missed the $12,000 judgement. He's a piece of work.