Today we’d like to introduce you to J.C. Reifenberg.
Hi J.C., can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have a background in video and film production, my fiance is an interior designer that specializes in restaurants and hospitality. Scum and Villainy Cantina is the result of she and I putting our passions together to create something new and unique.
We started Scum and Villainy in April of 2016 as a pop-up restaurant, originally with the intention of running it for a few months. During that time the comments we heard most often were of people wishing they could make Scum and Villainy their local hangout. At the end of our pop-up run, she and I took over running the restaurant with no prior experience. We wanted to focus on and build a place for a community of people who traditionally didn’t have a place to go that celebrated the pop culture, sci-fi, and fantasy things they loved. Over the past several years nerds and geeks have found their way to Hollywood where they can cosplay any day of the week or pick up a lively discussion with a stranger about which Hogwarts house various members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be sorted into. We’ve had over a dozen couples meet at Scum and go on to get engaged and married.
The pandemic forced us to close our doors for over 55 weeks from 2020 to 2021. During that time we did weekly livestreams to keep the community that formed around Scum and Villainy engaged with us and each other. We did fandom Friday movie watchalongs, trivia, karaoke and more. We also did a 24-hour live stream for May the 4th be with you in 2020 and an 8-hour livestream for Harry Potter’s birthday that year. We’re fortunate to have survived being closed that year and are excited to be back.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The biggest struggle by far we faced was closing for a year due to the pandemic. Every time I went down to check on the bar I took a moment and said goodbye for what could have been the last time. Other challenges were staffing up coming out of the pandemic.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Scum and Villainy Cantina?
Scum and Villainy is a home away from home for the geeks and nerds of the world. We are bar/restaurant that doesn’t have televisions because we want to encourage people to interact with each other free of distractions. Everyone who comes into the space has something in common and we want people to explore that and connect with new people face-to-face.
Brand-wise I’m most proud that we are known around the world as a spot that people need to come see when they are in Southern California.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up I was very shy. I was definitely a social outcast that loved playing with toys long after the other kids had moved on. I loved comics and fantasy and nerdy things. I loved sports as well but once the game was over, I didn’t fit in with the other athletic kids on the team.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.scumandvillainycantina.com
- Instagram: @ScumAndVillainyCantina
- Facebook: Facebook.com/scumandvillainycantina
- Twitter: @SVCantina
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/scumandvillainycantina
Image Credits
Jim Donnelly
