For the Past 23 Years, This Has Been the Hottest Mom in Massachusetts
It was the spring of 1992. Six Flags had yet to open in Massachusetts, and the only real digital entertainment breakthrough that Boston could claim was the Omni Theater at the Museum of Science. That is, until Mother’s Day of that year, when the local sofa stalwarts at Jordan’s Furniture launched MOM, or Motion Odyssey Movie.
MOM was launched in the Avon location of Jordan’s, with its bright neon sign quickly becoming something of a relic along Route 24. A $2.5 million investment, it was the first of many non-furniture related attractions aimed to draw people to their stores.
“The MOM experience begins with a colorful laser pre-show, introduced by a motley cast of video characters ranging from Al Bundy to Tom Heinson to the loquacious Jordans themselves,’’ according to a 1993 article by Michael Grunwald for The Boston Globe.
Participants were then strapped into a seat that could move in eight directions, syncing up with the movie that appeared on the big screen in front. The original MOM movie was a 15-minute journey produced by Star Wars legend George Lucas.
In a 1992 story by Diane E. Lewis for the Globe, Eliot Jordan, then one of the owners of the Jordan’s Furniture along with brother Barry, described his goals for MOM:
“We want people to stop, take a look, go over to MOM and — who knows? — maybe they’ll buy a sofa, too.’’
According to the 1993 article by Grunwald, one year after launching, MOM had raked in $250,000 in profits after paying salaries, operating costs and debt service — all of which was donated to charity. MOM continues to be open to the public, but only during select school vacation weeks and holidays.
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