One of the coolest classic gaming collections on display with everything from vintage handheld units, to home consoles, to full size electromechanical arcade and pinball machines.Used to.
The museum was the brainchild of Fred Bobrow, a pinball enthusiast who had collected 150 machines. He leased a vacant storefront, and word of mouth buzz got people coming out from Manhattan for birthday parties and $10/hour "all you can play" pinball afternoons. His museum became a major attraction of the town (see the Wikipedia quote above), and was marketed by the town's B&B businesses.
And then the Zoning Board found out about it:
They shut him down for 3 months, and he went out of business. The store front is vacant again, and while the town has repealed the ordinance and asked him to reopen, he has to liquidate his collection to pay his bills.And then, like the last ball sliding between the flippers, it was game over. The city building inspector notified him in June that the business was being closed down because the city had an ordinance banning amusement arcades.
Mayor Steve K. Gold said that the museum was an enormous asset to Beacon, but that laws could not be selectively enforced.
But at least the law wasn't enforced selectively.
We wonder,—and some Hunter may express
Wonder like ours, when thro' the wilderness
Where London stood, holding the Wolf in chace,
He meets some fragment huge, and stops to guess
What powerful but unrecorded race
Once dwelt in that annihilated place.- Horace Smith, Ozymandias
You know, while I'm sad about this guy losing his business, at the same time I wish our President had the same attitude as this mayor.
ReplyDeleteAnytime someone says, "There ought to be a law...", I get cold chills down my spine. Which is usually followed by a wave of indignation and anger.
ReplyDeleteFrom your post yesterday:
ReplyDelete"How do you know when laws are superflous?"
When they involve PINBALL MACHINE ORDINANCES.
I get that the city can pass zoning ordinances and such, pretty much however the resident's choose (through electing representatives that set the zoning ordinances that suit their desires). Zoning rules are what keep liquor stores and strip clubs from opening next door to elementary schools - assuming that the residents don't want that to happen and design their codes to reflect that desire.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm curious about is how the business was able to exist in the first place if it was out of spec with the zoning ordinance. The city for which I work requires a "CO" (certificate of occupancy) before any business can open. Its a review process that (in part)makes sure that the a business can legally open where it plans to.... If you plan to open an adult bookstore next to a church and the zoning code prohibits it, then your doors never open for business.
I don't work in that end of municipal government, but I assumed that process or one like it was pretty universal. At least it is around here.
This is a prime example of too much nanny state intrusion via over-regulation turning around and biting people in the butt. I hope they learn from the experience, though I doubt they will. I just feel sorry for the business owner and the people who enjoyed going there.