Nostalgia-Ville

We have to stop frequently on road trips and are always looking for places to stop for short periods of time. We saw the signs and decided to stop. This was place was so cool. You can’t miss the pink and turquoise exterior and the inside is filled with Betty Boop, Charlie Brown, Disney, Star Wars, etc. It was fun to look around. Most things were reasonably priced and they had deals on certain things. We bought a few things and gave our 1 year old a break from the car. If you have little ones there are plenty of things to look at. The staff was very friendly. We would go back if we were driving through.

I’ve seen signs for this place so many times while zooming down I-​70 towards St Louis. Funny thing is that I never ever had the desire to go there. Nope, never. But my hubby was along for the ride this week and he was insistent that Nostalgia-​ville was exactly the place where he needed to stretch his legs, so we pulled off the highway to see what kinds of adventures lay waiting for us in Nostalgia-​ville.
During its glory days, the colorful pink and turquoise exterior must have been a lesson in kitsch, but now it’s mostly just sad looking with peeling paint on a run-​down building. Inside are all sorts of items inspired by popular media, mostly of days long past, many of which look like they’re not exactly new because their packages are no longer sealed. Lots of the items are covered in dust. There are some locked cabinets where some stuff is stored but it’s not clear to me why since it’s all pretty much a bunch of junk. There are costumes, metal signs, curios, clothing, throws, sunglasses, kitchenware, etc, etc. There are tons of Betty Boop items and random things like a Doors light switch cover (clearly not a licensed item). The prices on some of the stuff are steeper than they should be.
When my hubby and I were there, we were the only ones in the joint aside from a chubby older person who I assumed was the proprietor who was holed up at one end of the store in an area that appeared to be cordoned off and in need of a good cleaning.
Seeing Nostalgia-​ville really didn’t enrich my life in any way, but maybe it will bring a smile to your face.

I’ve managed to get a thing or two here, but as my fellow reviewers have mentioned, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before, but it is all in one place. Coca Cola, Pepsi, John Deere, Betty Boop, Route 66, metal signs. Joi is right… the Betty Boop bathroom is pretty intense, especially for a small bathroom! It scared me a little bit. You could get a lot of this stuff on the internet, and maybe even cheaper, but who remembers all that stuff by the time you get home? Easy way for me to pickup a Route 66 shot glass for a souvenir.

This store is pretty corny looking on the outside but it’s a good place to take anyone over 40, or anyone under 40 who is into old tv shows and movies. I Love Lucy, Andy Griffith, Elvis, Betty Boop, Humphrey Bogart, etc etc etc… it’s all there. The prices range but most things are cheap, so it’s a nice place to go if you’re looking for stocking stuffers.

It’s a cheesy little road side shop with items made to look like their from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Fun for a stop to stretch your legs.

If you are not too serious and you are just looking to get off the road to see some interesting things for relatively little money, this is the place for you. It is just fun, it you expect more, you may be disappointed.

Before writing this review I had to finish laughing after reading Pamela R’s first paragraph in her Nostalgia-​Ville review because it’s completely on point. Seriously. How in the heck does this place really make money?
Let me clarify that if I was just rating this place on how I personally like it, I would probably give it a three. Places like this are not my thing in the slightest bit. I’m rating it on the «weird, kitschy, off-​the-​highway place that’s bathed in pink and Lucille Ball» scale. For that it gets four stars.
I Love Lucy, Betty Boop, Pepsi, Elvis, Andy Griffith, James Dean… the gang’s all here! They have tons of prints and memorabilia, and tons of really unique things from way back when. The place is 100% bright colors from top to bottom, and make sure you check out the crazy bathrooms. I DID almost buy a coffee cup (I collect them) but decided not to. They also have an old school candy section that’s kind of interesting. Oh, and they have bottled water and soda if you’re feeling thirsty.
As we left, I went to tweet about it and asked out loud, «I wonder if Nostalgia-​Ville has twitter so I can tag them?» Everyone just kind of stared at me like I was an idiot. This place does not have twitter, and I’d be surprised if they even have a working land line. I don’t mean that as an insult, it’s actually pretty charming and fitting for this spot. Stop by if you’re driving through and want to take a look!

I give Nostalgia-​Ville mad props for a weird kitschy store in the middle of nowhere that has the money to buy billboards 100 miles from the place and keep them going up until you turn off the highway. There must be a ton of money in kitsch.
I have to admit it was the billboards that got me and my passengers wondering about the place as we road tripped to Kansas City. What kind of nostalgia? Is it a glorified thrift store? A Mayberry inspired museum? We HAD to find out.
Basically Nostalgia-​Ville is a store filled to the brim with cheap ceramic figurines of pop culture like Betty Boop (myself and another friend did purchase something with Ms. Boop on it — don’t judge), Elvis, James Dean, assorted selection of shot glasses, postcards, old timey gas station memorabila and lots of pink jackets like the ones from Grease. They definitely have a niche in the 50’s and 60’s pop culture relics.
All in all it was a nice break on the road to KC. The proprieters were friendly and it was interesting in a bizarre way to get so excited over shot glasses. Yes, I spent money in Nostalgia-​Ville. And now I know how they get the money for those billboards… once you get there you need proof that you’ve been there. Snap.

It sure ain’t *Ostalgia*-Ville! If you love prefab roadside Americana kitsch, you will love this store. It’s not anything you haven’t seen before… tons of Marilyn, Elvis, Wizard of Oz, Coke and Pepsi ad memorabilia, John Deere stuff, 50s movies on DVD for 2 bucks, pink flamingos, an aisle devoted to Betty Boop, I Love Lucy, costumey 50s clothes, paper 1950s car replicas… you get the idea. It’s a way more fun bathroom stop than one of them gas stations.
«Betty Boop took a poop here.» Or so the bathroom at Nostalgia-​Ville would have you think (I cannot believe I used the P word in a Unilocal review. I can’t believe I was able to *type* that awful word.) It’s covered in everything Betty Boop (OK, that sounds gross), my favorite being the bumper sticker with a pooped Betty Boop announcing, «I don’t DO mornings.» I so relate to that sentiment.
I get the idea that the people behind Nostalgia-​Ville have TONS of money, as there are roadside signs every ten feet or so along I70. Truly old school. You get the idea that the internet doesn’t exist for these folks. «We’ll just stick to our signs…» Yup. I get it.

This is actually on the turn off from I-​70 to 54, towards Chicago, in the middle of Missouri. Makes for a fun day trip. I’m not too into dead Elvis, but action figures intrigue me. Also, little trinkets and what nots, and souvenir shops. They call my name, and I stop when I see them. (A review for all the Ozarklands in Missouri has yet to be written.)
Take the fudge, and the Indian artifacts, out of Ozarkland, and you have Nostalgia-​ville. It’s a little pink shop that has a large inside. It carries retro things, like, I really need a spilled Coke bottle, but it looks cool. There’s genuine Orange Crush in bottles, in an old fashioned Coke refrigerator, along with retro Dr. Pepper in bottles, as well.
Hello Kitty, next to Betty Boop supplies. Elvis action figures, Elvis neck ties, Elvis shot glasses… hey, if I open the bathroom door, Elvis might actually be alive in this place.
Beatles t-​shirts or John Paul George and Ringo, sit in one alcove. But Beatles action figures might be what I want to get. I can put them next to my World of Warcraft Action Figures, one of which was bought at Nosalgia-​ville.
In otherwords, this store is fun, and cool, and has things beyond what other stores carry. Lot’s of Elvis things, a few James Dean things. (which catches my eye every time I visit this place, cause I still like James Dean, even though he’s dead like Elvis.) You can find anything anything retro. Retro things, you want and don’t need. It’s in a perfect location to stop and stretch your legs.
I’ve been here numerous times. It evades me where I stored my pictures. The staff is great, location is perfect for billboard marketing up highway 54, and down I-​70.