Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Wieneke.
Hi Joe, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m a collector at heart. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Garbage Pail Kids cards, He-Man action figures, Terminator toys, I kept everything from my childhood. A lot of it was on display in my home. (Still is, to be honest.)
I wasn’t anticipating opening a retail store. I was in marketing and graphic design for 25 years, working for various agencies in St. Louis. I worked on accounts for Bacardi, Anheuser-Busch and Dean’s Foods, and many more. But a few years ago, I acquired all these authentic movie posters and other memorabilia from a neighbor who used to work for the old Kerasotes Theaters. He was a manager there and they would send him all the posters and he also got a lot of press books and other behind-the-scenes stuff from different movies. There are promotional T-shirts, promotional hats and press releases. I even have the old ad slicks from ‘Star Wars’ where you would cut them out send them to newspapers and they would copy them into the paper.
Basically, my neighbor wanted to sell the collection because he and his wife were moving, and they didn’t want to take it with them. I bought the entire collection and stored it in my mother Shirley’s basement for over a year. Once I started going through the collection, I realized that many of the posters were worth a lot of money. I have an original poster from ‘Nightmare on Elm Street.’ On the other end of the scale, I have 20 posters for The Talented Mr. Ripley. Once the posters would come down from theater, either somebody would keep them or they’d get destroyed. They get sun-damaged, or they’re torn up, but my neighbor was able to preserve most of them and keep them in great condition.
I didn’t have time to get things going on ebay because I was still working full time as an associate creative director and designer. Then I was unexpectedly laid off. Not long after, a prime location came up for rent in downtown Edwardsville, IL, I put down a deposit and Thrills Ville was born.
My brother Dean and I framed out the back of the store to look like an 80’s basement with wood paneling. That’s where the posters are, framed on the walls and in bins that I made in my garage. My grandma’s orange couch perfects the vibe. People love to flip through the posters and reminisce.
My buddy Luke Naliborski runs a vintage toy shop in Belleville called I Had That! I used to work with him at Slackers CDs & Games back in the day. I got some of his overstock stuff, so I’d have some new items to go along with the older collectibles. He also given me advice on what to do and what not to do.
In May 2024, I started with the movie memorabilia and treasures from my private collection. The first thing I sold was a Shawn of the Dead figure. I winced a little. It’s still tough sometimes when people buy something I really love. Like, I want to keep it. But that’s the nature of the business. My current inventory includes vintage toys and action figures of all genres, the movie posters, pop culture collectibles, T-shirts and hats, VHS tapes and a rotating collection of stickers, prints, magnets, buttons and novelty items. It’s a neon-lit beacon for toy collectors, movie buffs and pop culture fans. People love to explore and reminisce. I often I hear, “I can’t believe a place like this exists!” It feels good to make people of all ages so happy. I have a lot of regulars who just want to come in and talk about movies and toys they used to have.
In one corner, I have two old TV consoles, stacked on top of each other with a VCR. Kids will walk up to the TVs kind of puzzled. Then their mom or dad will tell them, “In my day, we only had 5 channels and we had to flip between them with a knob.” The kids seem very suspicious.
My collection really runs the gamut, and I’m very particular about how I curate the store. There’s a section of horror movie figures, Ninja Turtles in the front case, Back to the Future collectibles are together, and so on. I also sell posters and stickers designed by my friend Matt Reedy from Alton, IL. He is so talented, people love his work. You’ll always find something new (and old) at my store. Funny socks, vintage Fangoria magazines, funky earrings, so many stickers, and of course, posters and toys. I try not to buy more stuff, but sometimes I just can’t resist. I went a little crazy at an estate sale last summer, so I learned my lesson.
I would be dead in the water without my friend Anna Pavlik. She helped me with point-of-sales and inventory, then became my social media manager. She’s constantly posting on Instagram, a lot of Stories. It’s a lot of work to do for free.
My friend Adam Mitchell has also been a big help. He is an idea guy like me. He writes my newsletter, and we have a movie podcast called Scary, But Not That Scary. Recently, we’ve started recording from the parking lot of the local AMC right after a movie. I’m also part of Movie Club at the Edwardsville Library. It’s like book club, but with movies. We watched Repo Man with anyone who wanted to join us at the library last month.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I worked at Slackers back in the day, but Thrills Ville is the first retail store I’ve owned. I’m there Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 7 pm. My days off don’t line up with my partner Rebecca’s hours, so that’s frustrating. We don’t get to spend as much time together, and I’m never free on the weekend.
Getting things going was trying, of course. My friend Anna Pavlik has helped in so many ways— inventory, counting down the drawer, advising on what to order. Sometimes I’ll think something’s going to be a big hit, like Edwardsville T-shirts and hoodies that I designed and had printed. But they don’t move. Stickers, magnets and buttons are the surprising big sellers.
It’s tough to predict what will be a good day or a bad day, there’s no pattern to it. I can be alone in the shop for hours, then someone comes in and buys a magnet, and just before closing I sell a $400 movie poster.
Getting people in the store is always a challenge. A lot of people pop in all bewildered, thinking I sell CBD and that kind of stuff. My space used to be Lifted, and The Cave is next door. Then there are people who come in all surprised that I exist. “How long have you been here???” I wish I could crack the code on awareness and repeat business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’ve been an artist all my life. One of my drawings still hangs on the wall at Roxana High School. I’ve been in advertising since my early 20’s. I still freelance, designing ads, social media posts, presentations, digital billboards…it was fun to see the work I did for the St. Louis Aquarium last year on the big displays at the airport. My favorite type of work is experiential. That’s how I approached the store. I thought a lot about what people would see as they walked in, what path I wanted them to take, the discoveries they’d make, the vibe of the place. I used to work on the design and consumer journey of events and pop-ups and things of that nature for brands like Bacardi and AB InBev brands.
I’ve made a lot of cards and sketches for friends and family over the years. My friend Anna has portraits of the Seinfeld cast that I drew for her. My partner has a stack of birthday cards and valentine’s that I made for her, and a framed pencil sketch of David Bowie.
Right now, I’d say most people know me for Thrills Ville. My partner says I have kind eyes. People will tell me their life story. I have a big heart and I try to make people feel at ease, and like someone cares about what they have to say. One of my regular customers says his son talks about me all the time. He thinks the store is so cool, and when he comes in, he loves to tell me about whatever he’s into at the moment. It’s funny to think about the effect you have on people, yet you don’t even realize it.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I have my own podcast, actually. Scary, But Not That Scary.
I’m a faithful listener of What Went Wrong, a podcast about movies. I enjoy learning more about what went into making the movies that I have posters, toys and memorabilia for, it makes me more knowledgable and fun to talk to.
I love Cryptid Factor, but I think they wrapped that one.
I listen to The Purple Stuff.
Pricing:
- You can buy a sticker for a couple bucks, a T-shirt for $25, or spend up to $1000 on a rare movie poster. There’s something for everyone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thrillsville618.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thrillsville618/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThrillsVille618
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thrillsville618
- Other: https://www.ebay.com/str/thrillsville618
