Villainous Grounds in Perryville | Dark-Themed Café & Specialty Drinks
- Thomas Smugala
- 2 minutes ago
- 4 min read
In the charming downtown square of Perryville, Villainous Grounds redefines the local coffee scene as a one-of-a-kind haven for caffeine lovers and comic enthusiasts alike. Housed in a beautifully preserved 140-year-old building, this beloved spot combines small-batch artisan coffee roasting where bold flavors meet a immersive atmosphere. Known for its villain-inspired theme, this unique shop offers handcrafted coffee, specialty drinks, and a cozy setting perfect for relaxing, working, or meeting friends.
Freshly roasted beans fuel a villianous lineup of drinks: bold drip coffee, creamy nitro cold brews, indulgent lattes and espresso classics, refreshing fruit smoothies, thick shakes, Italian sodas, premium teas, and house-made chocolate truffles. Pair your beverage with in-house baked muffins or large cookies for the perfect treat.
Upstairs and throughout the space, browse a wide selection of current comics, graphic novels, manga, books, and geek-inspired merchandise—perfect for collectors or casual fans. Whether you're fueling up for the day, hunting for the latest releases, or settling in for a relaxed hangout in this friendly, welcoming atmosphere, Villainous Grounds delivers exceptional quality with a mischievous twist.
Meet the Villainess behind the scenes—the evil, Mary Jo.
Mary Jo—a high-grade, slow-roasted Villainess.
My name is Mary Jo Bammel. Villainous Grounds is a family affair. David and I run the shop along with my two children, Madeleine and Morgan. We're all nerds who also have a passion for good coffee. How can you tell we're nerds? Besides the array of goofy graphic tees we wear, Morgan's Elf ears, and our shop mascot Frostbite (a stuffed porg from Star Wars) getting in on a lot of shop photos, you'll notice a ton of nerdy things we collect decorating our shop. From rubber duckies to the Muppets and then onto a galaxy far, far away, we're proud to be nerds.
Villainous Grounds redefines the local coffee scene as a one-of-a-kind haven for caffeine lovers and comic enthusiasts.
...life is too short to drink bad coffee! Â
Our place was born out of a desire to provide better customer service. David and I both worked in the customer service based industry and yet we were always stuck in meetings "learning" how to take care of customers instead of being allowed to do so. That's not the way we wanted to do things. We want OUR customers to be happy with their purchase - life is too short to drink bad coffee! Â
Villainous Grounds is a Coffee Roaster, Cafe, Comics and Book Store, and so much more. Not only do we roast all of our own beans in house, we are also specializing in Bourbon Barrel Aged Beans. The comic and book portion of the shop has done well over the past 10 years, but coffee is our main gig. Coffee is something nearly 70% of Americans drink—can’t go wrong with that. We're also the only commercial roaster in Perryville.
Mary Jo and David make good use of old bourbon barrels.
David enjoys sampling bourbons and I love getting a chance to explore distilleries with him. We don't get a chance to get out often but that's a way for us to get away for a day here and there - we will call it "research"! We had heard of barrel aging beans and thought this might be a fun thing to try. About 3 years ago we managed to get a NULU barrel from Prohibition Craft Distillers in Louisville, KY. We aged the beans in the barrel and then dried them prior to roasting. The result was exactly what we were hoping for, a good rich cup of coffee with the scent and flavor or the bourbon paired with the natural notes from the coffee. We were able to get several batches from the barrel before it was no longer viable but then we rehydrated the barrel with over 9,000 mL of Amaretto for two months. That was one thirsty barrel since we only got about 500 mL back out. The subsequent roast we got from that cross-over Bourbon Amaretto barrel was perfect.Â
...in-house baked muffins or large cookies for the perfect treat.
Freshly roasted beans fuel an impressive lineup of drinks: bold drip coffee, creamy nitro cold brews, indulgent lattes...
Each year we cohost a charitable event here in Perryville called Heroes for Kids Comic Con. We (Villainous Grounds) work with a 501c3 called Heroes for Kids to raise funds for local and regional organizations. This year our recipients will be The Missouri National Veterans Memorial and Camp Hope from Farmington. It's July 18th & 19th in 2026 at the Perry Park Center. This is our 7th year for the event and each year we raise over $10,000. With the help of our entire community through sponsorships and attending we can more than double that number.
Mary Jo in the comic vault of doom.
Get Out There! Read a comic. Take a class. Go for a hike. Sing in the shower. Do something. Do anything. Get out there, that sunken sofa won't miss you.
Pics, words, and other nonsense by t. smugala.
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