(US donations are tax-deductible! New stuff up top. Summary and FAQ below.)

Bloop has reimagined the first phase of our move. Check it out:

This campaign has changed a lot over the last couple years. First, we had aspirations to purchase a building outright and fix up the first floor of the place. That was a bit too much. So then we decided to break that up into smaller pieces. We were down to two buildings. Both had a big room next to a parking lot to start out in, needed work on the restrooms, weren't quiiite ADA compliant, and needed some cleanup and inspections.

We set a goal to cover a down payment, closing costs, transportation, inspections, and bringing everything into compliance. Options for spaces came and went, as you might expect. Even with solid projections, options for lending also came and went. The rest of the plan was (is) very solid - to keep our operating costs and mortgage payments low so they can be covered by our recurring donations (won't you join them?), and slowly expand and renovate while we operate and open more areas to the public.

a fairly long two-story building along a road with a small yard and sidewalk out front.

We got a contract accepted on our best commercial property option, pictured above. Then we hit our goal of $240,000, and six lending options fell through. Fortunately, a private lender stepped up and totally saved the day, and the local government is working with us to open the building in phases. We have closed on the deal and we now have a building in Penn Hills, near Monroeville!

Newcomers might wonder, if everything worked out, why does this fundraiser exist? Folks who have donated and supported the campaign and newcomers alike will probably wonder why the dollar amount has gone up.

Very simply: We're not trying to buzzkill that feeling of satisfaction from completing a fundraiser (we took a screenshot). Rather, this is the next phase. Our inspections revealed a few repairs that we want to do before we even move our stuff to the space. Also, Pittsburgh was recently hit with some very serious storms. We're already re-prioritizing everything in a way that we can move in as soon as possible. Organizing and packing will happen at the same time as our first repairs, and our hope is to fundraise during that time. We can do the other repairs while we set up. If you help us with these next steps, we can still open in time to give a bunch of grade school tours in the fall!

If you're new to this campaign, you might be asking....

What's a Bloop? We're an electronic entertainment museum dedicated to computers, games, media, and gadgets! We currently operate inside the System Source Computer Museum, adding fun and flair to their exhibits and supplying our own. National Electronics Museum, formerly near BWI airport, also moved in, so when you visit, you get a personalized tour of all three museums.

Our Video Game exhibit!

We've run Bloop as a pop-up museum for over 17 years, and brick-and-mortar for seven. Success means growth, and things are a bit tight around here. What would take Bloop to the next level? Well we've got enough to move to the new space, and now we just need to fix up the building a little more. Don't forget - your donation is very likely tax-deductible!

A slice of our Japan exhibit

Some of Bloop's highlights:

We recovered data from an old floppy disk critical to the exoneration of two men who were falsely convicted (Read the story here)!
We preserved the only known working BIOS for the Montgomery Ward Cybervision 2001.
Between all three museums, we've conducted over 5,000 tours (Schedule a tour here).
Our collection is growing; we recently inventoried our 25,000th artifact.
We contribute thousands of edits to online game and media databases yearly.
We lead high school, middle school, and elementary school tours, which are always a big hit.
We participated in multiple local, regional, national, and global events.

Apple exhibit and more

Our host facility, System Source, and their museum, Maryland Technology Museum, have a bunch of cool things going on as well:

Usagi Electric restored a Bendix G-15, a programmable vacuum tube computer from 1956. We're pretty sure it's the oldest running computer in North America!
A large new IBM exhibit, featuring some System/360 gear with a very cool story.
A new row of computers including a number of early programmable machines you can try.
Regular repair weekends - repair your stuff, ours, or help someone!

IBMs and Flight Sims

We are also interested in donations of artifacts in (or related to) four major categories:

Any electronic game, on any media, for any system, from any time period (or the system).
Interesting computer hardware/software, especially non-PC or pre-2000.
Audio/video media & players, the more weird/obscure/failed, the better!
Tech gadgets! Bring in your old MP3 player, phone, or other obsolete thing.

Acorns, Tandy, and more, oh my!

No money or things to donate? If you're near Baltimore or Pittsburgh, consider volunteering - contact us and we'll help you find something interesting to do. ☺ If you donate to a DAF (donor-advised fund), you can recommend the DAF donate to us (please give us a heads up). If you're a livestreamer, we're set up with PayPal Giving Fund. If your employer is set up with Benevity or Deed, you can donate through those, and possibly even receive a match! And of course, you can still help by spreading the word about this campaign to others!

Bloop Museum Moves to Pittsburgh

By The Bloop Museum

Bloop Museum Moves to Pittsburgh

We got the building! Here's what's next.