Joseph Kereta
Joseph A. Kereta was born on February 12th, 1955 in the seaport city of San Pedro, CA. His parents, Adriana and Vojmir Kereta, were immigrants from Croatia. They moved to the United States for a greater opportunity and to experience the American dream.
For those who have met Joseph in person, they will tell you that they are amazed at the vast knowledge he has of Elvis Presley. But how did his journey with memorabilia begin? It was 1962 when Joseph’s eyes first saw “Loving You” on television. Reminiscing like it was yesterday, Joseph can still hear the song Teddy Bear playing just as he walked through the door. His early career would show no signs of his present direction, as he graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in Business Administration. Engaging with customers has always felt natural for Joseph, working as a National Account Manager for Quaker State Oil Refining Corporation and President and owner of Certified Employment Screening. Past and present customers have described Joseph as personable and detail-oriented.
It wasn’t until 1999 when Joseph’s website was launched for the world to see. His domain name of elvisnow.com has remained current and is available for the buying, selling, and trading of authentic Elvis Presley memorabilia. Popular search engines such as Google and Bing have recognized his website as both a credible and trusted source, prompting popular key search terms like “Elvis memorabilia” to consistently show elvisnow.com in the search results. Joseph is widely recognized and respected in the memorabilia community, and has done business with Hard Rock Hotel/Cafe; Jimmy Velvet; Chris Davidson of “Elvis-A-Rama”; Sherif Hanna & Greg Page of the Wiggles to name just a few. Even Graceland has a few items of Joseph’s collection on display. Joseph also was seen on a episode of History Channel’s “Storage Wars” authenticating a related Elvis Presley artifact.
Joseph has also had several articles published on the subject of Elvis as well a contributing to numerous Elvis projects with BMG/RCA Follow Thant Dream; Behind The Image DVD; Memphis Recording Studio and Jat Publishing while consulting on Elvis films and documentaries. In addition he has contributed his personal items for loan to various museum one being the Richard Nixon Library in Yorba Linde California.
The present memory and legacy of Elvis continues to thrive thanks in part to his millions of fans and supporters. Joseph has taken on the responsibility of extending his passion and knowledge to those who wish to keep Elvis alive in the sea of modern day music. One of Joseph’s fellow entrepreneurs, David Collins, has dubbed him to be one of the “original pioneers” in the Elvis memorabilia world. To maintain his credibility within the Elvis fan community, Joseph continues to stay current with the latest trends. He does this by attending major trade shows and conventions across the United States. This includes the most popular event in Las Vegas, where the King himself performed on stage for countless sold out shows. Visitors of Joseph’s booth are treated to a pleasant diversity of fun and affordable items that help to celebrate the life of Elvis Presley. Even serious collectors are satisfied, as Joseph often brings original clothing and other miscellaneous items that Elvis once wore and used. Another project is “Elvis the MGM Years” in which is looking for a publisher.
Every Elvis fan has a story, whether it be their first concert, or the perhaps the first time Elvis they heard him on the radio. For Joseph, there were two separate incidences in which he will never forget. For those who know about the history of the Las Vegas International later renamed Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, they will tell you that Elvis performed there from 1969-1976. In 1972, it was one of these very shows that Joseph attended. To both his shock and disbelief, he was invited backstage to meet the man himself. Joseph was quoted as saying “Elvis had both charisma and a presence that could not be matched by anyone else.” Because Elvis loved his fans dearly, it was no surprise that Joseph was also given a pair of his signature aviator chrome sunglasses.
While Joseph’s second close encounter with Elvis was not nearly as personal as the first, it was still an experience any fan would appreciate. On the afternoon of April 26th, 1976 Joseph and his girlfriend had arrived at the Long Beach International Airport to try and catch a glimpse of Elvis leaving in his private jet, the Lisa Marie. Joseph took numerous photos of Elvis, in fact one being featured in a USA Today article.
A few months later, Joseph was asked by Ernie Martin, close friend to Elvis’ co-pilot and his father’s friend that they were in need of an altimeter and Elvis was staying at his Chino house in Palm Springs just a few short hour drive for Joseph. He jumped at the opportunity to volunteer his services, and was shortly invited thereafter to board the “Lisa Marie” and have free run of the place. Needless to say, sitting in Elvis’s personal chair was an experience like none other.
While Joseph Kereta is one of many buyers and sellers of Elvis Memorabilia, he is one of the few that goes above and beyond for his customers. This can be seen through his strong attention to detail when authenticating his items. If you are searching for a reliable and trusted source, Joseph has continued to build on his already stellar reputation.
