Halloween might be in October, but at Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon Party Warehouse, the spirit of the spooky season is alive all year. Located in the heart of St. Louis at 1900 S Jefferson Ave., this store offers a vast selection of costumes and decor, and visiting it has become a Halloween tradition for locals, delighting and frightening them all at once.
By Natalie-Elizabeth Tan
Johnnie Brock’s caters to a variety of festivities—Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mardi Gras, Pride Month, and, of course, Halloween—to name just a few. Besides these seasonal offerings, costumes, makeup, accessories, and party supplies are staples in the store.
The store is currently run by the third-generation of the Brocks, Edwin Brock and his wife, Marybeth Brock, and Edwin’s son Ethan, a fourth-generation Brock. However, the Dungeon Party Warehouse wasn’t always what it is today—it started out in 1929 as Johnnie Brock’s Greeting Cards & Gift Shop, opened by former St. Louis Cardinals catcher and outfielder John “Johnnie” Brock.
The store originally sold postcards, greeting cards, and writing instruments and was located in the Arcade Building in downtown St. Louis. Johnnie Brock’s son, John Brock II, took over the business in 1948, and in 1984, his son Edwin started selling Halloween costumes and decor in the store. Edwin’s interest in the shop and his passion for Halloween was sparked by his father.
Each year, the Brocks would decorate their home with homemade decorations and convince visiting children their house was haunted, Edwin says. “I never went trick-or-treating when I was in grade school, because I was so busy scaring other kids that would come to the house. Because I was so enamored with Halloween, I asked my dad if there’s any way that I could
start carrying Halloween products at the store,” he says. Edwin also worked in the store part-time as he grew up.
Adding “dungeon” to the name of the store came about because Edwin’s section of the store was located in the basement, where extra stock and boxes were kept, and workers would joke that they were going into the dungeon to grab things.
Edwin sold these goods out of the store at Hampton Village Plaza until the opportunity came up in 2009 to move to its current location, a massive 30,000-square-foot warehouse on Jefferson Avenue in Soulard. It took a few years to completely fill the space out, but today, Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon Party Warehouse is St. Louis’s number one source for costumes and accessories for every season, according to its website.
Catering to a wide range of customers has helped the business withstand the test of time. For example, the variety of 30 Santa suits it carries means that anyone from a zealous dad to a professional Santa will find something to dress up in at the warehouse. The dungeon also changes its decor to match every upcoming holiday celebration, so even if you visit the store multiple times a year, the customer experience changes every time.
There are many reasons to visit Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon Party Warehouse, but a paramount one is that this family-owned store offers something that chain pop-up stores don’t—you’re encouraged to make sure your outfit is right for you. You can take it out of the package, touch it, feel it, and even try it on.
The Dungeon Party Warehouse is a fun experience when you’re in the area. You will find it full of delights and frights.
Visit the Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon Party Warehouse online store at JohnnieBrocks.com.
All photos courtesy of Johnnie Brock.
Article originally published in the October 2024 issue of Missouri Life.
