House of Joy — Local services in Jerome

Right away, I loved to old sign out front. Apparently this place used to be a brothel. It's now a cute antique and oddities shop. It's not very big, but they have interesting things. The woman who was working at the time was very friendly and welcoming.

If I was a Sedona local, I'm not sure I would make the trip just for this shop alone... but it's not any single thing in Jerome that makes it special, but all the things put together that makes a nice day trip! And when in Jerome I would certainly make this a must see shop! It's small but cool and full of character.

My toddler was starting to act up around the time we hit this place in Jerome, so I couldn't make my stop a long one, but if I had more time I'd love to have spoken more with the woman who ran the shop to learn more about the history of the place. I'm sure I just scratched...

Can you believe it? Since the 1970's, people in Phoenix would actually drive 120 miles to eat at the House of Joy when they were able to get a reservation. I used to think it was just a story until I ate there the first time on my birthday and saw the clientele. Definitely city folk, certainly onto something special, absolutely right. The food was dynamic and the small, quaint house was the perfect atmosphere for dining in a town this old and unique.

Unless things have changed much, the House of Joy has very limited hours and very limited seating. Back in the early 1970's when I sampled their gourmet cuisine for the first time, I think the restaurant seated 24 people, maybe even less. The reservation list was sometimes full for weeks since at one time back then they were only open on the weekends.

The House of Joy is...

Super friendly owner- with tons of playful and handmade items. Reminded me of my trip to New Orleans. You can spend a lot of time in this little store because there is so much to look at. It's great that they are keeping the memories of the old bordello in Jerome alive with a fun playful attitude. I ALWAYS have to take my friends to see this...