The lobby is stuffed with clowns of all sorts. Like a scene from a circus, they are seemingly everywhere, even above the beds in each clown-themed room.
After all, it is “The Clown Motel.”
The iconic, albeit frightening to coulrophobes, lodging is up for sale, after 22 years owning it, Bob Perchetti is ready to sing a sad clown song and retire from the hospitality industry.
"It became a way of life with me," Perchetti told KLAS. "It's funny you get attached to something. I haven't gone so far as to start talking to them."
The motel gained notoriety from its theme eerily coupled with its proximity to the historic mining town of Tonopah’s cemetery.
"As you know, it's called the scariest motel in the U.S.," Perchetti told KLAS.
Perchetti and his late business partner decided on the clown theme. They brought in most of the props from his home.
“He had a house full of clowns, and he decided to bring the clowns up and put them to work,” Perchetti said.
He is hoping to sell the motel, clowns included, for $900,000.
“Oh, I’m going to miss the clowns,” Perchetti said. “I’m going to come back. I’m going to come back and visit my clowns.”
What will Perchetti do once someone else is there to look after the clowns?
"I'm going to go fishing. I want to go enjoy myself," Perchetti told KLAS. "I'm going to do a little camping with the grandkids."
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