Ghoulish Mortals hosts ribbon cutting in St. Charles
Chicago's only retail store that caters to the dark tastes of monster and horror art fans is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, June 29. The ceremony is hosted with the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce, but with a quirky twist: owners Dove Thiselton and Warwick Price will be transforming themselves into zombies to gnaw the ribbon apart.
"Ghoulish Mortals is very immersive in its theming and unique in its merchandise, so our official grand opening had to boast something equally campy," Thiselton said.
The grand opening also will feature zombie cupcakes, appetizers and door prizes.
The 1,800-square-foot store located at 228 W. Main St. has been in soft opening mode since April, allowing the owners extra time to finish the store's extremely detailed set-like décor and stocking the shelves with signed art prints, jewelry, books and more works, many of which were created by various Chicago area-based artists. The front of the store is kid-friendly and features themes such as haunted mansion, classic horror, mad scientist, Stranger Things and Cthulhu. The back of the store is for teens and adults with gorier themed sections like Carn-Evil, Hillbilly Hack Shack, mutant hospital and zombies.
Check out a walk-through of the store and see for yourself: https://youtu.be/jEplDY28BAU
The store also offers custom creations that most horror fans would never be able to find elsewhere. Kids can bring in a monster drawing that is turned into a hand sewn 2-D plush, while older clientele are able to have a picture of their own head placed in a custom jar or have a custom picture of their tattoo made into a flayed piece of skin looking prop.
The goal of the store is to be the go-to creepy and cool destination in the Chicago area because the owners, who moved from California three years ago, were "kind of crushed" to find Chicago didn't have a plethora of horror stores like Los Angeles. They decided to open a place with the best of what they loved about the horror shops they've visited and mix in elements of set design and the art of horror.
In early fall, the basement level will open up as a multipurpose space for parties and calendared classes and events, with a possibility of expanding into the storefront next door to add in horror Sci-Fi. Whatever they conjure up, Ghoulish Mortals is sure to delight with their brand of fright.
For more info regarding the ribbon cutting ceremony or for other information, visit www.ghoulishmortals.com or contact owner Dove Thiselton at (630) 441-2920.