Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven And Julie Reeves.
Steven and Julie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
We have always loved Halloween and the fall season. We try to live that life all year long. We have always done a huge Halloween display every year in our yard. It grew and grew through the years. Over time, with me about to retire from the military (Texas Army National Guard – Full-time AGR 1SG), my wife and I decided to start creating not only for the neighborhood on Halloween but to start a spooky, year-round business, so S&J Haunted Productions was born.
We started by participating in a few small local markets in the Austin area at The Glass Coffin. We gained popularity with our products and were then invited to move in next door to The Glass Coffin inside The Velvet Casket. Business was growing, and we had such a good time scaling to have our brick-and-mortar location. Then the I-35 Highway expansion did us in at that location. We had to move out as the building was scheduled for demolition. Soon after we started, the decision was made to find another place or just go online. Soon after, we started our webpage. SJhauntedproductions.com and a small Etsy shop. We ultimately decided not to open another dedicated store because I was hired back as a Federal employee with the Texas Army National Guard. Still researching, we discovered a retailer called The Painted Tree Boutique that was to open in Round Rock. We jumped on board and secured a space, and that is where we are physically located today in Booth W8 as well as online. We still attend local markets but have moved to doing mostly larger events. We attend Horror for the Holidays in December at the Palmer Event Center, World Oddities Expo, also located at Palmer, and the San Antonio show dates. We plan on attending all for show days in Texas for 2026. We also have a booth at Pioneer Farms for Halloween Pumpkin Nights from mid-September through the 2nd day of November. We also vend at Texas Haunters Convention, which will be located in a new venue this year in July in Irving.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Learning to run your business is for sure a trial and error. We have had some bumps along the way. We even had a copyright lawsuit due to our previous DBA name, which was a huge learning curve for sure. We recommend doing a search in the USPTO for your business name to make sure someone else isn’t already using that name or a similar name, so you don’t unknowingly break any laws. And once you get a name, have it copyrighted to be safe. And learn the tax laws, as they can be confusing at first, but get easier as you go along.
We have also had to change and introduce new products and adjust with the market from time to time, following what is working and popular with our audience while still being true to what we love.
Not to mention the I-35 expansion and having to be shut down due to eminent domain.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
How it started was Halloween props and do-it-yourself kits. Flying puppet ghosts, DIY Halloween tombstones, and Trick-or-Treat ghost props of which I still do today, but are more seasonal and do not sell all year long.
Id say we specialize in Gothic decor, Gothic and horror themed collectables and 3D printed toys and Realistic skull replicas and many other ghothic and horror related items year around. Need a Hello Kitty Chucky Plushy? We got em’
Skulls became the thing I gravitated to, and I still do today. I focus on hyper-realistic skull replicas and Skull 3D art. My wife does beautiful Entomology displays as well as Urainium jewelry and other curated Urainium pieces.
We are very proud of our yard display as it hads gained some notoriety over the years winning several National Halloween yard contests through the years. Wife said she is proud we still like each other aftere running a buisness together LOL!
We now also do laser wood creations as well as 3D printed items mostly spooky, Halloween and horror themes with some cult classic items mixed in like Never Ending Story. We also love the mysterious and mythical mosters so cryptids are also something we love to create. A few of those items are Fiji Mermaids, Cursed monkey paw replicas and Mothman!
We also take commissions and do custom work as well.
How do you define success?
Being paid for creating things we would have fun doing with no pay, LOL. Honestly, seeing people love an item you have made is the best part. We love sharing our creations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sjhauntedproductions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandjhauntedproductions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SandJhauntedproductions/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@StevesHauntedYard
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@sj.haunted.produc
