spomer classics & museum

Click, click, click, click, etc. With each click, owner/collector Marv Spomer opened an electrical circuit that brought a dark room into light that would make Las Vegas envious. The lighted signs are perhaps the most unbelievable collection of neon and porcelain automotive signage that have ever been gathered in one place. Suitably, that happens to be in a former automotive dealership building. Surprisingly, that building is in Worthington, MN, which is a speed-by town on I-90. Now it needs to be a destination. Bring your camera. Try to figure out how to photograph it.Marv Spomer credits his wife Jeanine for encouraging him to begin his collection. Neither of them expected it to grow exponentially. Now, Marv reminds visitors to come back again, because there is always something new. I think the real reason for coming back, is Marv himself, who shares his encyclopedic knowledge with visitors whether they come as a group, or as I did, as a lone traveler. Believe me, I was not bored and felt that the donation/admission was well worth it! Note that this is NOT just another automobile museum that displays placards stodgily planted in front of old cars. There are collector cars indeed, but uniquely pristine (in some cases singularly so) examples of some interesting automotive iron from the 1950s to the 1980s. Beyond the cars and signs are other fascinating artifacts - for example, when did we begin to see gimmicky rear view mirrors in cars? Try to find it in the Museum, and if you can't, ask Marv, and he'll show you. Tell him Dennis sent you.

Everyone who visited enjoyed the displays and history. Allow at least a couple of hours to enjoy the full tour

This is a very worth while place to visit. The owner took a great lenghth of time to show us his wonderful collection of neon sign and collectiuon of cars

Mr. Spomer clearly has a passion for sharing his collection. I'm not a car person at all, I couldn't tell the difference between classic cars - but I still really enjoyed this tour. First of all, it's free! There's a donation jar and you'll want to leave something after Mr. Spomer has given you more than an hour of his time - but I never felt any pressure to do so. He knows the history of every sign in the building. He's warm, friendly, and very welcoming. He doesn't come across as a "car salesman type" at all. One thing to note - he mentioned and we also noticed that it appears that no one's on the premises when you drive by - because hey, let's admit that paying to light up all those neon signs 24/7 would be astronomical in cost. But there's a phone number on trip advisor and he promptly returned my call. You can also try the east delivery door and if he's there, he'd welcome you in. A truly enjoyable experience for everyone, car enthusiasts or not!!!I think it may be a bit long for toddlers and you'd have a hard time wrangling them to ensure they didn't touch things - but older kids and teens would probably enjoy it.

This museum has a large collection of automotive signs. Also has about 2 dozen classic 50s and 60s cars. A few of these cars are unique, but the main attraction is all of the signs. Marv Spomer is a former Worthington car dealer who has collected and restored some very nice porcelain, neon and metal automotive related signs. Some of these signs are one of a kind and most are at least pretty unique. Marv gives a great tour and has the history of all of the signs and cars in his collection. The signs are lit and the displays are a little over-whelming. Overall, this is well worth a visit.