Looks can be deceiving, as we all should know. And the old addage, “you can’t judge a book by its cover” has certainly been proven on many occasions. However, I’m fairly certain that “treasure trove” would be the last thing on anyone’s mind after seeing the picture above. For only the trained eye would suspect that treasures would most certainly be inside. This, my friends, is what is known in the hobby as a “Warehouse Raid!”
I knew this warehouse would be exciting when the directions to the address didn’t include a clear numbered marker, instead, I was to simply look for “a few tractor trailers and a big pile of junk.” Yep. We made it.
I first met this operator many months back at an arcade auction. He was selling off equipment from his past 30-plus years in the business. I’m usually pretty stand-offish when it comes to strangers, but when there’s a potential to find some arcade treasures, I make friends in a hurry. I introduced myself and asked if these items for sale represented all he had left. “Hell No!” was his response. Would he possibly be willing to sell any of what he had left? His answer was music to my ears. “Hell Yes!”
After some back and forth, several phone calls, and some extended time in the car, we were there. I’m not sure what it is about most operators that I’ve met, but their warehouses would make great locations for either “American Pickers” or “Hoarders” – I’m not sure which. In the conversations I had with the operator prior to my visit, I was practically salivating to see what was inside. According to him, he had been operating over 30 years and still had “all” of his equipment. He never really traded in or sold any. Visions of Computer Spaces danced in my head, and the anticipation had been killing me. Time to finally see what was inside.
Inside was not exactly the treasure trove I was hoping for, but still, quite impressive. There was game after game. Not too many rarities, but definitely some classics: Pac Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong, and Pole Position come to mind. Conversion cabinets seemed to be the main course, however, with classics like Q*bert now dishearteningly converted to such atrocities as DJ Boy.
Disarray was everywhere, and new discoveries were made left and right even after previously combing the exact location. It’s hard to keep your head straight when there is so much wonder to behold. Documenting with photos and videos is a must! Also, for those squeamish few, be prepared for plenty of spiderwebs, rat droppings and the occasional live varmint. We encountered all of those things on this visit.
I should say we were privileged that day as we were able to view rooms that hadn’t been opened in 10 years. In fact, there was a tractor trailer that hadn’t been opened in 20 years that he had moved just for us to get into and look around. An honor, to be sure.
Sadly, as with many operators, many games were simply left to rot over the years. You see, most of the games had paid for themselves over and over again, so when they were finally pulled off route due to no longer making money, they were simply stashed away and forgotten, their duty done. One tractor trailer load had been exposed to the elements for years, its back door completely open just welcoming rain and humidity all year (decades) long.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t save them all. However, we didn’t come away empty-handed. We picked up our fair share of Nintendo cabinets, Ms. Pacs, and Playchoices along with plenty of circuit boards, artwork, and more (including many NOS – that’s “New, Old Stock” to you arcade newbs). I don’t think that this will be the last trip we make to see our new operator friend. In fact, I think it was only the first pickup of many. Heck, we haven’t even seen his other locations yet, but I’ll be sure to bring my camera when I do.
Thanks guys for taking us with you we live for these moments glad you scored and shared the footage with your fellow collectors!!!!!!!
Ahhh! Need that Universal cab! Also, Vs. Sky Kid cabinet? Yes, please!
Great videos! That selection looks much better than you led on with the story. I see several great games and cabinets. Can’t tell which are trashed on the videos though. I wish I was closer to you guys! I’ve been trying to find a Nintendo cab for a DK Jr. restoration for a long time now. They’re supposed to be a “dime-a-dozen” but I can never find one cheap. I have everything but the cabinet and bezel and want just an empty restorable cab! Congrats on getting a shot at that warehouse. I hope you got some great games out of it. Don’t forget to get all of the parts you can. That’s where the real treasures are!
I love that the twitter hash tag was #ArcadePorn. It’s exactly how I feel when watching these videos. Wishing I could get in on that action, feeling a little dirty, and guilty for watching it at work.
Thanks for all the comments guys. It was a blast!
@Raikus – that was a hack job, I’ve seen better. Wait around to find NOS stuff and piece your own together
@Jeff – Bunch of converted Nintendo cabinets there. A lot of them had the DK bezel just turned around backwards. 🙂 Oh, you better believe I got whatever parts I could reasonably get. I love crawling through parts more than anything in this hobby. Finding NOS stuff is my high.
These videos bring a wave of joy and then sudden disappointment when you begin to realize those games will be in the same spot twenty years from now.
It would be nice to get these games out of storage to serve their intended purpose.
Thank you for all the great content.
I can only assume that this warehouse space is either cheap or free. Did the op tell you what plans he had for any of the games?
Thanks for sharing. Too bad most of that stuff is common and also garbage/parted.