Sometimes it take a bit of change 🪙 for change 🏗️

Change is inevitable. There is no guarantee change will be better or that you’ll like it, but it constantly happens without our consent and will forever.

Rather than fight the losing battle with change, I like to find ways to turn change into a good thing.

The thought of closing Miles Through Time Automotive Museum in 2019 was real and very nearly happened. Instead, I moved the museum to a new location that was better, and bigger and enabled the museum to be open more often, without me specifically having to be there.

That change was good, but scary. After three years, I still didn’t have any money. I put every bit of the $5 admission I collected back into the museum or to pay for electricity and other bills associated with operating a business.

Basically, after three years, I recreated the museum again from scratch but that time I had more help. Within months, the larger museum was completely full, and we even built an entire town out of reclaimed and recycled materials donated to the museum.

Change struck again within 15 months when circumstances changed that would hinder the museum’s ability to stay in the new location. After a “brief” panic, I figured out how to not only keep the museum open, but grow it.

Vintage Garage Antiques was created in November 2021, which also marked the first expansion of the museum. Eighteen months later the museum and the antique store expanded again, growing to over 47,000 square feet.

This was an increase of about 40,000 square feet in the span of 6 years or about a 470% increase. Not to mention, I went from one car I inherited to about 130 on display, plus thousands of other artifacts and memorabilia.

Now, I’m faced with another change. This change is more serious than any other change I’ve faced at Miles Through Time. The museum is no longer just my car and a few others loaned to the museum.

Miles Through Time Automotive Museum is the caretaker for dozens of family vehicles and memorabilia. The museum is not about me and never has been. The museum is a platform for people from all over the country to be able to share their little piece of automotive history with visitors from all over the world.

In order to continue to preserve and share automotive history for decades to come, there is one more major change Miles Through Time has to make, which is to move one more time.

The good news is, I found a piece of land that would be ideal to build the museum and create a campus atmosphere. The plot of land is right on the main highway at an intersection and already has a building that would be used for storage, a workshop and the ability to “stay” at the museum.

Here’s a sneak peek of the potential location.

Of course, I will need even more help to make all of this possible. What started as a one-car museum by myself, has truly turned into a co-op-style museum curated by regular people. This next phase is a big one though, which is going to take some major financial assistance, but will also become the most popular attraction in northeast Georgia.

For over 7 years now, I’ve been dedicating myself to growing Miles Through Time because the alternative is all too common in the museum world. Route 66 Mother Road Museum is the latest museum fatality.

Miles Through Time Automotive Museum is not alone when it comes to growing. Classic Motor Museum is closing on its new location in January. It looks like they’ve raised about $900,000 so far to be able to move to a new location.

Tucson Auto Museum has been working hard to complete construction on their new building, which is slated to open after the first of the year. I had an opportunity to visit the old location earlier this year and look forward to seeing the new location.

You probably know about the new home being built for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. This museum is in the center of the Indianapolis Speedway and is currently under renovation to bring the museum into the 21st century.

Even the Shelby American Collection has built a new location, although in their case the new location is actually the building across from them, and it is, in addition to what they already have, essentially doubling the size of the museum. I had the opportunity to view the new space under construction, and it’s top-notch, and rightfully so considering the cars that will be placed on the tile floor.

Change can be a good thing, albeit scary and stressful. Operating a museum isn’t easy, but it can be very rewarding and when done right, you get to see museums grow, like the ones I’ve shared this week.

If you want to be a part of helping a museum grow, let me know. We need the help and only have three years to make it happen. You can help any museum just by visiting or at least sharing with friends. 

Have a great week and Merry Christmas!

SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S 3 AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUMS.