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ST. CLAIR SHORES — St. Clair Shores business owner brings a beloved cartoon character to life with a vast collection and is helping local charities with the donations he receives.
Mike LeFevre, the owner of Mike’s on the Water, has over 16,000 Snoopy items in his collection. They are all gathered at a museum attached to his restaurant in St. Clair Shores.
Every month, he uses ping-pong balls to choose a charity the donated proceeds will go to.
LeFevre said they don’t pick a charity in January, February or March when they don’t have as much business. LeFevre also said they do receive calls asking to be a part of the museum.
For the month of May, the proceeds will go to the Friends of the St. Clair Shores Public Library. Since fall of last year, the library has been under construction. The Friends are the helping hand of the library, getting donations to help it run as smoothly as it can for residents and others to enjoy.
Jen Hornok, the vice president and marketing and public relations chair of the Friends of the St. Clair Shores Public Library, said it’s exciting to be picked. She said they’re waiting for the library to be open and gain the fundraising momentum.
“With the excitement with the library reopening, we’re also trying to build the awareness of who the Friends are and what we do,” Hornok said.
LeFevre said they’ve raised over $51,000 for various charities since it opened in 2023.
“I use the analogy, all of this Snoopy memorabilia sat in my house collecting dust and now they’re collecting money for local charities,” LeFevre said.
The Friends was established in 1983, and it is 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The group tries to bring more events and programs to the library as well as improving library services through fundraising.
Hornok said she became a Friend because she had a love for the library as a child and she would like to help provide the same access and love for future generations.
“In St. Clair Shores our library was a little dated and I just wanted to get involved and just be a part of that,” Hornok said.
She added that she just loves Snoopy.
“The nostalgia is just unmatched,” Hornok said. “If anybody likes Snoopy or Peanuts, it’s such a cool place. You just go in there and it’s really touching.”
The museum also has space for parties and part of the cost goes to the charities.
LeFevre started collecting Snoopy memorabilia in 1965 when he was 5. When his sister came home from the hospital, LeFevre said his dad had a plush Snoopy.
“I just happened to grab it and sleep with it,” LeFevre said.
That Christmas, he received another Snoopy with a label saying it was from his sister. As he grew up, he gained more Snoopy items and at one point as a child, he had around 20 to 30 pieces sitting on the dresser in his bedroom. The items come from a wide range of places — some from department stores, some as gifts, some from different countries and more.
The rarest Snoopy in his collection is a prototype with only a few in existence.
LeFevre reiterated many times that the museum is not about the restaurant, but about the charities it raises money for.
People do not need to be residents of St. Clair Shores to become a Friend. For more information, go to scsmi.net.
The Snoopy Museum is attached to Mike’s on the Water at 24600 Jefferson Avenue.
