Should you sit down with him, you will find that he’s very engaging in conversation.

Jerry O’Neil has worn many different hats on his life’s journey to Jim Thorpe, where he currently lives with Kristen, his wife of 27 years.

She’s a workforce management/analyst for Jack Frost and Big Boulder ski resorts. He’s been an actor, an account director, a program manager, a freelance writer, an editor, an enterprise software salesman and he now works as the director of sales and Corporate Partnerships for the Stabin Museum in Jim Thorpe.

“I am representing a unique venue,” he said. “Where else can you visit an elite artist’s museum, eat a delicious dinner at Café Arielle and listen to a live concert at Vic’s Jazz Loft, all located in the same building?”

The museum, owned and operated by married couple and longtime Jim Thorpe residents, Joan Morykin and Victor Stabin, displays a variety of beautiful artistic renderings from Stabin, a working artist and illustrator for over 50 years.

Café Arielle serves gourmet cuisine and one of its tables sits near a metal grate where diners can view a tributary of the Lehigh River flowing underneath the building while they have dinner. The jazz venue, also an intimate dining experience, hosts accomplished musicians from New York, Philadelphia, the Water Gap, and the Lehigh Valley area.

A partnership begins

O’Neil accepted the position at the museum under unusual circumstances involving Walmart.

“I had semi-retired in January of this year and my wife and I thought it would be a good idea if I could supplement my income. With no other thought in mind, I went to Walmart and filled out an application to become a greeter to shoppers entering the store. They said they would be in touch and if I was to be hired, I would have to go through an onboarding training period.

“In the meantime, my wife and I had dinner at Café Arielle and then Joan gave us a tour of the museum. I was not only amazed by Victor’s art and illustrations; my years of employment experience kicked in and I thought of marketing and sales strategies for the gallery, the restaurant and the concert venue.

“Subsequently, I met with Joan and Victor numerous times, which led to an offer from them. About the same time, Walmart called to schedule me for training, but once Victor and Joan decided to hire me, it was a no-brainer as to where I wanted to be.”

Traversing the town

Despite the building’s captivating ambience, its location is farther up Broadway, the main street in Jim Thorpe.

Walking apart from most of the retail businesses, visitors often do not travel that extra distance to find where it is. Therefore, one of O’Neil’s weekend duties is to attract more people toward attending the Stabin.

“I drive a golf cart decorated with museum, restaurant, and concert stickers down Broadway and around the local streets to bring more people to visit our hidden gem,” he said. O’Neil has literally made himself “a man about town” and a goodwill ambassador.

His future plans for Victor Stabin’s establishment include a self- guided audio tour of the museum.

“Everyone who sees Victor’s artistic representations are amazed and intrigued at his talent. With an audio tour, they would get to know the origins of his ideas and what he believes each of his paintings represents.”

A new venture awaits

To expand interest in the entire facility and art and culture in general, the Stabin team is planning the publication of a new magazine titled “The Stabin,” that has been targeted for a 2025 spring premiere issue.

“Jim Thorpe is a wonderful town with a rich history of art and cultural creativity. We’d like to attract more people from the Lehigh Valley where there are many artists and people who love to visit art galleries. It is Joan’s idea to create and publish an informative magazine that will bring in more people from the valley to add to the numbers of our local customers and travelers who come to visit Jim Thorpe, and to feature art, artists and culture events all over the Poconos and Lehigh Valley region. We would also like to create corporate partnerships with our establishment from which the magazine can advertise their products and services.”

O’Neil has worked in Virginia, California, New York, and New Jersey. but he has now planted his roots in Jim Thorpe and is happy that he and his wife have raised their twins, Raymond and Kaitlyn, now 22, in the region.

His goals for the Stabin are to bring in more corporate offsite meetings and events to the building and its unique spaces, and create more exposure for Victor’s art along with educational opportunities for Victor to teach art to young people.

Instead of greeting shoppers at Walmart, Jerry O’Neil now looks forward to greeting gallery goers and art buyers, café diners, and music lovers to the one of a kind Stabin experience.