I have a few that I can share photos of (might have already). None are running MAME right now. Rather, I have originals of original Frogger, Snow Bros and NBA Jam... then some of those cheapo Ali Express clone JAMMA boards for Space Invaders and Donkey Kong . All with CRTs (another hobby). My brief suggestions are:
Buy an old cabinet, they can be less expensive than you think and having proper JAMMA wiring makes them more versatile.
Decide what games you wanna play. I like MAME and reckon that while people pay $$$ for FPGA solutions, a Raspberry Pi with a Jamma edge (or heck, an Ali Express multiboard if you want pac-man, frogger, 1942, space invaders and a few others with zero setup for ~$30). However I reckon it can kill the retro vibe a bit when the buttons/marquee don't really match the game.
Said it before but CRTs really are beautiful... even if you've got an old VGA monitor or something plugged in. I've had various mental health challenges over time and there's something therapeutic about going into my arcade room, firing up a heap of CRTs and enjoying the glow.