Half imagination, half machine

Matt Schultheiss considers himself a maker. The Saint Johns native is former theater kid, haunted house enthusiast and steampunk aesthetic appreciator — he also owns Imachinations.  

“It’s a combination of imagination and machine,” Schultheiss explained. “And what you can build with your imagination. That’s what it means to me.”  

The deluxe costume rental shop sells cosplay accessories and various nerdy home goods. The niche store celebrated its grand reopening April 30 at its new Meridian Mall location. The move was a definite upgrade. Schultheiss said the 3,200-square-foot space is double the previous space.

“We were in Grand Ledge for a while, and loved it out there. The community was great,” Schultheiss said. “I just wasn’t getting the traffic I needed to make it viable. We moved here to Meridian Mall and it’s been really good. We get a lot of people who walk through the mall and are like, ‘Oh, we didn’t know you were here.” 

Stationed next to Gaming Cantina and High Caliber Karting and Entertainment, Schultheiss said mall walkers often stumble in after noticing the shop’s unique vibe.  

“We have a 12-foot skeleton in the middle of our store,” he said. “He grabs a lot of attention.” 

Imachinations has a combination of vintage, handmade and new costumes, wigs, shoes, hats and accessories year-round for rentals and purchase.  

“We also offer costume classes from local experts like leatherworking, airbrushing and makeup classes,” Schultheiss said. “We have a space in the back people can rent if they need to work on large projects — ones they might not have room for at home.” 

Imachinations also has a division called The Troubadorks, which is a team of live entertainers available for home, office or special event visits. Costumed characters like Santa Claus, Captain Skully, the Easter Bunny, princesses and various superheroes can provide personalized greetings. ​ 

The store also features a local artist section of handmade goods, including homegrown 3-D prints and assorted other custom-made items. And while many costume shops thrive on seasonal booms, or operate as pop-ups, Imachinations aims to stay busy year-round.  

“I definitely want to be that go-to for costumes and nerd-centric things,” he said.