register |  login
› DENVER
Loading Ad
Visit Other Hubs:
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Tower
RECENT STORIES

Littleton's scariest entrepreneur

Contributed by: Ryan Parker on 3/6/2008

Editor's note: Visit our Faces of South Metro page, where YourHub.com staff and readers can introduce you to more people who make this part of the metro area what it is.

Among severed body parts, princess costumes, and a statue of Darth Vader the Reinke Brothers have carved their niche, and a pumpkin or two, in the town of Littleton.

Greg and Chris Reinke have been making, and running their own haunted houses since the two were 10-year-old boys in their parent's basement, and have never stopped.

"We've set the bar for haunted houses, and when we were put on the cover of the of the 'Spotlight' section of the Rocky Mountain News in 1988, the business really took off," said Greg Reinke.

Although people might think that haunted houses are nothing but blood and gore, and anyone could put one together, Reinke says they are very wrong.

"We liked blood and guts when we started out as little kids, but it's just not scary, and it's too easy to do. I want to do better than that for people," Reinke said.

This whole conversation might be considered a funny one coming from the man who was voted "Littleton's most valuable person," by the "Littleton Independent" unless they knew just what the store and haunted house named "The Haunted Mansion," have accomplished in the town.

"We helped revitalize downtown Littleton and we couldn't be happier about it. We have even helped build the floats that are used in the parades, such as the 'Western Welcome Week,' that takes place here, and help with costumes for the local high school's theater productions," he said.

Reinke tells the story of how the idea of a shop to go along with the haunted house came to be after he was on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disneyland as a child, and saw skulls being sold in the small gift shop afterward.

"I was a 12-year-old then, and I went and bought an old China cabinet to put skulls in for our haunted house and I still use the same cabinet here in the store to display skulls today," Reinke said.

The idea behind everything the brothers do is entertainment, that's what they are here to do. He added that money is no object when it comes to doing the job right.

"We spend 60-80 grand a year to re-do the house so that it's even better than the previous year," Reinke said.

The town of Littleton means so much to him that he ran for City Council in the past, but lost by a small margin, which he blames on something he finds to be funny.

"People didn't like my hair," Reinke said. "I had people tell me they wouldn't vote for me just because I have long hair, which I got a kick out of."

He said he had no problem telling people he liked his hair, and that he grew it out because it seemed, to him, that is what ladies seemed to find attractive on guys.

Reinke vows to continue to support the life and the re-growth of the downtown, and do his best to entertain all of its patrons.


SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above story



Current Rating
Based on 4 user ratings.

Talk Back : submit comments to the story

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Ryan Parker

Littleton , CO

Ryan Parker has posted 2 stories and 0 comments since joining on 3/6/2008. Ryan Parker 's average story rating is 5.
SAVE AND SHARE THIS STORY
STORY RSS FEEDS
WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?
Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post? All you have to do is register, then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyone what events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

Loading Ad
ADVERTISEMENT
Loading Ad

This YourHub.com community is produced by The Denver Newspaper Agency
Web Development and Channel Analytics provided by Indigio

terms of use //  privacy policy
the staff //  advertise //  help & faq
buy photos