A potential treasure trove, but how to get to it?

elekTRONarcade

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So there's this old bowling alley here in my hometown. It's been closed down and boarded up since the mid 90s. Before it closed for good, they were using it as a karate dojo. I remember as a teen taking classes there, and on the second floor they had nothing but arcade games galore which we used to sneak up and play before class. I don't remember much in terms of what games ar eup there, but I do remember it was quite a few, around 20 or so. To my knowledge, they're still there, basically hermetically sealed in there for the past two decades.

So anyways, my question is this: What would be the best way to track down who owns it now, and seeing about getting access? Its a potential warehouse raid, if everything is still there. Public records search? City hall? I remember the old owner's name, but problem is, there are like 12 guys with that name here and I've left messages for all of them. And the building may be a historic landmark (not sure on that one).

Any ideas?
 
The tax assessments are usually public (including name of the owner). See if your local newspaper website or city/county/state website has a real estate records search. You can usually search by address or owner name. Or just Google the street address. Sometimes that will turn up a foreclosure hearing or similar public record.
 
Give the address to a realtor. They can check the address and determine who owns the property, how much is owed on the property, and a bunch of other information you really don't need. In many cases (if not all), there's a contact number.

Failing that, talk to the chamber of commerce. If the business has been around a long time, someone has to remember who owned it. I think you'll find everything you need with a realtor though.

Good luck, sounds fun. Take pictures.
 
Some counties have GIS data online. This let's you look at a map to locate the parcel, then lookup the tax information form there. It makes it easier to know you have the right property.
 
that kind of thing drives me nuts. there is a shitty old tavern here in town when i was a kid it was a busy bowling alley and game room. during the heyday of video games someone invested alot of money and crammed that room full of games. theres some nice early vectors, an ice cold beer, almost all the pac man games, a tapper, and the last one they purchased, teenage mutant ninja turtles. eventually the owner died and the games started making less money than it was costing to service them, so they just shut down the whole back end of the place and concentrated on the bar. the original owners son now runs the place, and he is unwilling to sell the games because he still thinks he is sitting on a goldmine. he actually thinks the games should be worth more now than they were new, even though they have a decade of heavy wear, giant bars across the coin doors, and none of them work. he has a vague plan of getting the tapper and ms pac repaired and putting them in his basement at home but other than that he is unwilling to even discuss selling the rest, and considering his attitude about how much he thinks theyre worth thats probably a good thing. still drives me nuts every time i drive by knowing they are all sitting there instead of being enjoyed but hey at least its a good environment, they wont get any worse at least.
 
heyre worth thats probably a good thing. still drives me nuts every time i drive by knowing they are all sitting there instead of being enjoyed but hey at least its a good environment, they wont get any worse at least.


If you really want the games, then bring a lot cash and flash in front of him. If the games are still there, perhaps you can talk to him and work out a deal where you repair/restore the ones he wants to keep and work a trade deal for the others in lieu of your service fees.
 
yeah he won't though, the guy is a certified asshole. like i said, he thinks theyre worth more than they were new, he is expecting thousands per game for shit that is broken and beat. lots of early classics but he wont sell shit. my idiot friend offered him 600 for the non working pac man (assuming i could do a cheap fix for him) and the owner didnt even blink. not only does he think theyre worth thousands each right now broken and beat but he expects them to go up in value! thats why he isnt interested in selling them. i grew up in a bar, my ma's boyfriend owned a small one, a couple grand in cash doesnt mean shit to a successful tavern operator. a half dozen video gambling machines can pull in that much profit in one night. i suppose i can understand the logic, they are in a climate controlled room and have been untouched for over a decade, its not costing him anything to let them sit and from the point of view of the average person, these things dont exist anymore. i expect he will let them sit there for the rest of his life rather than sell them. the guy is a stubborn ass with a bad attitude who just happened to inherit a successful business in a good location with a loyal clientele.
 
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Cool.
Never been to a warehouse raid before.
I live near Jacksonville and could drive over to you to help you move the games out of the place.
:)
 
Cool.
Never been to a warehouse raid before.
I live near Jacksonville and could drive over to you to help you move the games out of the place.
:)

I think you're mistaking me Shawn, there isn't any sort of planned warehouse raid. I'm just doing some checking to see if I can track down the owner and see if they're still there and if he wants to part with them. For all I know I might get a resounding "F*ck off!" if and when I talk to the owner.
 
I like your idea of City hall. Who ever owns that property has to pay taxes. My experience with looking for owners of property tells me that this information is public record. With humble attitude and a persistant spirit they will help you find the information you want.
 
I like your City hall idea. Someone owns that property and they have to pay tax on it.
I have gather alot of information from many Citys by just being persistant.
 
So there's this old bowling alley here in my hometown. It's been closed down and boarded up since the mid 90s. Before it closed for good, they were using it as a karate dojo. I remember as a teen taking classes there, and on the second floor they had nothing but arcade games galore which we used to sneak up and play before class. I don't remember much in terms of what games ar eup there, but I do remember it was quite a few, around 20 or so. To my knowledge, they're still there, basically hermetically sealed in there for the past two decades.

So anyways, my question is this: What would be the best way to track down who owns it now, and seeing about getting access? Its a potential warehouse raid, if everything is still there. Public records search? City hall? I remember the old owner's name, but problem is, there are like 12 guys with that name here and I've left messages for all of them. And the building may be a historic landmark (not sure on that one).

Any ideas?
Just go in there and take 'em. PM forum member Jehuie for advice. :D
 
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