San Fernando Valley Relics Museum seeks $70,000 to stay open

The Valley Relics Museum, located in a Van Nuys Airport hangar, is raising funds to keep its doors open, CBS News Los Angeles reported. The museum features over 30,000 artifacts of Southern California nostalgia, including neon signs, Hollywood memorabilia, and unique items like the phone booth from "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey."

Tom Gelinas, who has spent nearly 30 years collecting and preserving these relics, opened the museum in 2018 after outgrowing its previous Chatsworth location. The museum aims to preserve the culture and memories that shaped generations in the San Fernando Valley.

Despite being a self-sustaining nonprofit, the museum now faces a $70,000 balloon payment due in December, a financial challenge attributed to the pandemic, CBS News Los Angeles explained. For the first time, the museum has launched an online fundraiser seeking help from the community.

Gelinas emphasized that the museum is more than just a collection of old signs, describing it as a passion project built with "blood, sweat and tears." His family echoed the importance of preserving the museum for future generations, hoping the community will support their efforts to keep it alive.