Lakewood's Connection to Anime,
Avant Garde Jazz,
and More?
Joe Simon is more than an entrepreneur; he's a one-man cultural movement driven by a mixture of his own eclectic interests, artistic ambitions, and business savvy as well as his commitment to the community. The films, music, books, games, and events promoted by Joe defy simple categorization and often push the limits of our understanding of what labels mean—as does Joe, himself.
Born in Lakewood Hospital in 1969, Joe has moved in and out of Lakewood several times over the years—though he thinks now that Lakewood is his home for good. He cites a sentimental attachment to the place of his birth as well as an attraction to the unique cultural opportunities Lakewood provides through residents of various nationalities, philosophies, and classes—all with a strong commitment to the arts. "Plus," Joe adds, returning to the practical, "I've already built the store here." (Actually, Joe has sold the store and moved onto bigger things-- more on that later.) Then he's off discussing things like Lakewood's population density, foot traffic, and public transportation. His sound business reasoning, you'll notice, never strays too far behind his dreams.
Joe first began learning
his trade as a teenager managing a comic book store in Fairview.
Then after high school and a little college, he received his real education
working in the Flats at Trilogy for over a decade learning the ins and
outs of management and promotion. But a few years ago, the grind
of working the guest list and being the bad guy got to him, so he decided
to go into business for himself.
 |
Retropolis, located at 12816 Detroit, began fittingly enough, as a retro store featuring antique video game machines, classic board games, action figures, comic books, and the like. He never set out to create one of the largest anime stores in the state (with over 1,500 movie titles to choose from for rental or purchase on VHS or DVD as well as soundtracks, posters, graphic novels, imported video games and more.) But by listening to customers and following his own interests, Joe found himself transforming Retropolis into something unique and new. However, Joe's ambition never rests. Once the store began to turn a profit, he sold it in order to focus on greater challenges. |
Click the picture to go to Retropolis' web site!
(Hey! What is Anime, anyway?
Click
here for an excellent discussion on Anime and Manga and their
place in Japanese culture. And Check out the Lakewood Public Library's
new Guide to
Japanese Animation!)
Click the picture to buy the cd!
Although Joe still keeps tabs
on Retropolis and enjoys poking his nose in from time to time, he's very
happy to be free of the humdrum chores of running a store.
Now he has the time to devote himself to his, not one, but two record labels
full of world renowned music: Without
Fear Recordings and Pointless
Music. Without Fear features cutting edge Jazz musicians
from both the local and international scene. Meanwhile, Pointless
Music handles limited press runs of more obscure, experimental music as
well as the back catalog of Pointless
Orchestra (Brainchild of Mike Hovancsek Joe's friend and frequent
business partner) Recently, Joe has acquired the U.S. distribution
rights for the music of Egyptian composer (pictured above) Halim El-Dabh:
Grandfather of Electronic Music and Composer for the Pyramids.
Read his fascinating story and more about the rest of the Without Fear
family from the links above.
 |
Also coming soon:
A whole new slew of CD releases from Pointless Music's back catalogue... A mysterious Japanese trumpet player with his first U.S. album... And a new opera based on a novel by Max Ernst! |
| On top of all this, Joe is starting his own publishing company
with Proving Ground Productions. (Oh, did we forget to mention that
he's a published author, too? Check out Caliber Comics Thumbscrews
#3!) As Joe describes it, Proving Ground is, "an unconventional
publisher for unconventional people." The first release out of the
gate will be The Hard-Boiled Nightmare; a Traumatic Fairy Tale.
And then there's his return to the world of promotion with Circus
Trauma which you'll just have to see to believe. All
we can say is there will be all-out, no-holds-barred laser battles in the
middle of an alien temple. And who knows? Joe himself may show
up to DJ the destruction with his 4,000 watt presence. (Yeah, we
told you you'd have to check it out for yourself.)
|
 |
Joe believes in the importance of local
businesses nurturing and preserving a sense of community. And he's
all too aware that the home videos he sells are contributing to the demise
of the traditional American gathering place--the movie theater.
That's why he's currently working on adding a Movie Lounge to Retropolis
where people can gather to watch some of his favorite movies. With
wide screen television and old fashioned projectors, the Movie Lounge will
be a small cozy place for people of all ages to ooh and ahh together while
enjoying pocky,
a
popular kind of japanese snack food. (Stay tuned to Purpleman.com
for
all upcoming events where you can dress up like your favorite Anime character
and dance the night away.) Unfortunately, the Movie Lounge will be
too small to fulfill all of Joe's community aspirations. In the future,
Joe dreams of throwing Summer picnics at Retropolis for the
whole neighborhood. If he can figure out all of the zoning ordinances,
he imagines free movies projected on the side of the building with hot
dogs and chips for the kids.
 |
So what else is there for Joe Simon? Could there possibly be any unfulfilled dreams? Well, the truth is he's just getting started. But one ambition stands out from the rest: a video game arcade. Joe has always dreamed of giving Lakewood's youth a place to hang out besides the parking lot at 7-11. For now his dream remains tangled in a web of zoning difficulties, but Joe remains confident that one day he'll sort it all out. And though his arcade has yet to become a reality, it still stands as a perfect example of his personal philosophy: striking the harmony between his personal passions, practical business, and preserving the community. |
Any Questions? E-mail Joe at proving@en.com
Or the Webmaster at carnivore4@mailcity.com
Last Updated: 7/6/01
©2001 Lakewood Public Library