National Bobblehead Hall of Fame hoping to open in Milwaukee
A National Bobblehead Hall of Fame could soon be coming to Milwaukee. Aiming to open in 2016, the museum is currently raising funds with a Kickstarter campaign that had raised $14,000 of its $250,000 goal by Monday morning.
Phil Sklar, the museum's CEO and co-founder, is planning to open the Hall with his roommate Brad Novak, the museum's president. The two are high school friends from Rockford, Ill., and Sklar says he developed the idea for the Hall while studying for his MBA at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
If they are unable to raise sufficient funds, Skalr told DNAInfo their plan is to open a "scaled-down" museum, likely in a Milwaukee suburb.
"Kellogg's slogan while I was there was 'Think Bravely,' and the classes really pushed people to think outside the box — how can you give your business a sustainable competitive advantage," Sklar said. "The concept for the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum really positions us as the leader in this niche market."
The museum will likely feature bobbleheads with a significant Chicago influence, given Sklar's time in the Windy City. The co-founders' collection of bobbleheads includes about 300 figures of Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs and White Sox players, and by 2016, they hope to open a "regional" exhibit in the museum with at least 100 bobbleheads from each team, as well as the Chicago Fire and Police departments.
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The 150-year history of bobbleheads has produced big business. In January, a figure of Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist sold for $2,900.
The Hall's Kickstarter video is below. Sklar says funds are also being raised on the museum's web site.
- Josh Sanchez
