A lifetime of love: Museum features beloved Peanuts character, raises funds for charities

"Everything in this room has a story and I know every one."

Mike LeFevre's Snoopy Museum is a sight to behold.

More than 16,000 Snoopy collectibles - from stuffed animals to lunch boxes to figurines and even a bowling ball - line multiple glass showcases throughout the space, located next to the businessman's restaurant, Mike's on the Water.

It's the culmination of a lifetime he spent collecting the character with which he's been enthralled since childhood.

"In 1965, I received my first Snoopy when I was 4 ½ years old," LeFevre said. "It was June and my dad came into the house with my new sister. He had her in one arm and a Snoopy in the other. I grabbed the Snoopy."

That exact moment is commemorated in a painting by Suzie Starnes, which guests view when turning the corner to enter the museum.

That Christmas, LeFevre got a Snoopy music box with a note attached: "Merry Christmas, love your sister, Susan."

By the time he was 10, Snoopy dolls and toys overflowed from his dresser onto his bedroom floor. But that was just the beginning.

"I started collecting and getting them as gifts from friends, cousins, customers, business associates," LeFevre said. "And I always look when I travel. I've found Snoopy in Germany, in Vietnam. There are pieces in here from all around the world. I've been to 144 countries: Uruguay, China, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Prague, Russia, Guatemala, Egypt. You get the picture. It's a passion to me.

"From 1965 to now, I've got more than 16,000 items," he added. "Ninety percent of this was given to me by other people and 10 percent I bought."

Now he's inviting the public to be part of the journey by offering the space — which also serves as a banquet hall and seats up to 44 guests - to rent. Every penny he brings in is donated to charity.

"To use the room for an event, you have to donate money," he said. "If there's no event, you have to put money in the charity box to see it."

Each month benefits a different charity. During April, Maggie's Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan will receive the donations. May donations will benefit The Helm, June will benefit the Full Circle Foundation, July will benefit Racing for Kids, August will benefit the J.T. Mestdagh Foundation and September will benefit Kids on the Go.

New charities for the year will be drawn again in October.

"This collection was in my house," LeFevre said. "I've always talked about opening a museum so people could see it and to raise money for charities. It made no sense to be in my basement."

LeFevre's dream was recognized last fall when he opened the museum, which was a long time coming.

Two summers ago, every piece was carefully packaged into 496 boxes, then stored for a year while the space was being prepared. In September 2023, LeFevre began unpacking boxes and staging the museum. Eight weeks later, the space opened.

Artist Mariana Chaolei Lewis painted murals on the walls, one depicting a world map featuring Snoopy "everywhere I've been in the world, plus some," LeFevre said.

From floor to ceiling, items on display vary from unopened McDonald's Happy Meal toys and various candies to telephones, holiday items, music boxes, glasses and mugs, clocks and even rides that formerly were featured at Kmart stores. Two Charles Schultz autographs are among the menagerie, many pieces of which are priceless, like a Snoopy briefcase that was stolen from LeFevre years ago and eventually returned to his possession.

Among his treasures are other meaningful tokens he's received through the years. Patrons of Mike's on the Water have drawn Snoopy on their menus and presented them to LeFevre; those are in the museum. Letters from his sister and other family members, written in the '70s and '80s, also dot the walls.

"I never threw anything out," he said.

Though just one of each item is showcased, LeFevre has numerous duplicates, which he sells for donations. A shelf just outside of the display area offers items for $5, $15 or $25, the proceeds from which also go to the month's charity.

"I want to honor my sister with this museum," LeFevre said.

"This restaurant happened because my sister became ill. My sister brought me to this project."

LeFevre and Susan Amine were inseparable their whole lives, he said. He was retired and traveling the world when he got word from his brother-in-law, Anthony Amine, that Susan had been diagnosed with cancer.

"He said, 'You beat cancer, now help fire her up to beat hers," he recalled. LeFevre dropped what he was doing and came home.

"I never left her side through chemo," he said. "We played Scrabble every night to keep her mind off of it."

Though she passed away from breast cancer in 2012, her presence is evident throughout the museum.

"So many stories here are signs from my sister," LeFevre said.

Of all 16,000-plus items, LeFevre has a clear favorite. He's quick to point out the first Snoopy he ever received, when his sister was born in 1965. Though it's been stitched up several times, it sits majestically in a display case near the museum's entrance.

"I needed to do something so people could enjoy it," he said of his collection. "I think this is a destination."

And with available space next door — an additional 8,000 square feet to be exact - LeFevre has room to grow.

"It's a passion for sure," he said. "It's not what you have, it's what you give. I want people to see it and enjoy it."

Mike's on the Water is located at 24530 Jefferson, St. Clair Shores. People who would like to book a party or see the museum should call Mike's on the Water at (586) 872-2630 to reserve a time.