What? A new comic store opening? in THIS economy?

[homerwannabee]

not yet - but ill let you know. Ive managed to buy about 15 NES collections this month so at this rate ill have it in no time.

 

Out of curiosity, how many Atari 2600 collections have you seen in the past month? I don't really care if you bought them or not, I am just wondering how much rarer the Atari 2600 is compared to the NES.

[moonlite]

Marc,

 

Good luck, there are a number of us LCS owners on the board so ask if you have questions. If I were you I would petition to be a part of the CBIA.com. Its a network forum for LCS and creators and those in the industry. They have to verify your involvement in the industry but its invaluable as a resource.

 

I wouldn't have opened one in this economy but hope you do ok. Just wondered what kind of regular job you gave up (if you did) to open and run this store.

 

 

[Wally's Comics]

I love the store, but aren't you afraid of fading with the book out there in the light?

 

I have seen folks take slick color scans of the book and bagged and boarded them for display.

 

 

Anyway good luck.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

 

 

[funkyj00ky]

Thanks again guys - to catch up to some questions...

 

Not many atari collections come in. Its actually my weakest area of videogames. While people mention they still own it, they aren't willing to sell it due to nostalgic reasons. Funny that, on average its the weakest library of games $ wise when ive personally never been able to find one. I assume that will change one day.

 

I got laid off about 6 months ago from my job in Business Development/marketing at Mercedes-Benz HQ. Then i went back to my old job at a record store (which i had in college). I made a lot more money there actually, and all the comic/video game deals got passed right to me. The good thing is some things are consigned to the store, and actually this record gentleman consigned an entire room in the back since i didnt have enough stuff to fill the store. There's a record room filled with about 3,000 lps and singles. So i get a commission and he pays half the rent. The numbers work for me although i gave up a great job working for him. Only difference is now im working with him.

 

I don't know if the lights will fade the books - do incandescent lights fade them? Or do you mean fade as in stolen out there in the light? The way i situated the books makes it a difficult task for someone to rip them out of the wall, and they have to be tall to reach them, over 6'. They better have a gun or a knife on them if they want to steal something - im not an easy guy to take out. I also cant be Nieve - stuff will get stolen/broken by customers. I just have to always be paying attention.

 

I won't be carrying new books. It was like that post presented a month or two ago. I just don't see the new books making me enough money, at least at this time. My favorite comic store - Wildpigcomics.com just went out of business 3 weeks ago and he attributes it mostly to diamond screwing up his order each week (either heavily damaging the books or completely wrong orders) and losing customers because of it.

 

I know this is only one example, but the huge bills for diamond each week may hurt me until i get things flowing since i didn't take out a loan. Im sure most people will be split on this in saying "dumb move" or "i hear you", but like i said - at this time it didn't make sense. In the future, it might.

 

In lieu of not carrying new books, my vintage books are priced so that i would be able to have something along the lines of a "revolving door" inventory. I want things out of here, i want new stuff in. Its that simple. I want people to go to my twitter every day and see what i just bought/new collections/first crack.

 

Easier said than done - but when i was working at the record store, comic collections were almost once a week. I already have 3 collections waiting in the weeds for me, so in the next 3 months, expect a new stock almost every 2 weeks.

[shortstack comics]

 

So many GI Joes....

[Foolkiller]

Hunh... wild pig finally bit it. He was a nice enough guy, but his hours weren't really consistent. Unfortunately, tough times with the comic book hobby right now.

 

Good luck... if I was still in Philly I'd drive up for your grand opening, but it's probably too far a haul from where i am in b-more. I am in Jersey quite often, so someday I expect to swing by as your store looks very cool.

[funkyj00ky]

yeah - he couldnt afford being a full-time history teacher and a comic store operator at the same time. He was the last of the old schoolers around here. Pure comics, no CGC, no magic, no yugioh, spot on grading. Ironic he was only 32.

[Foolkiller]

yeah - he couldnt afford being a full-time history teacher and a comic store operator at the same time. He was the last of the old schoolers around here. Pure comics, no CGC, no magic, no yugioh, spot on grading. Ironic he was only 32.

 

I don't know that I'd agree about spot on grading, but I do agree that he tried his best to run an old school comic shop. I think he's best off doing what he did which is closing up shop and then running these semi annual sales which frankly did seem to generate a lot of interest. If he does some shows as well, I also think that will help him rebuild as a comic presence.

 

I've visited almost all the Jersey comic shops, but he was not easy to catch when he was open, so I didn't see him all that much, though I certainly did make it in from time to time.

 

The competition up where you are I don't feel is very strong, so I think you could absolutely have added new books and probably drawn away some customers.

 

I know the Joker's Child is up in your area and I can already tell you that if I were in your area I'd do everything I could to divert and shop where you were.

 

In today's economy, I think it's important to carry some other product and to be -- Pig's problem was not making some adjustments to the business model.

[funkyj00ky]

I've always been happy translating his grading into CGC grading. Some of the wall's cgc's came from him including the 9.6 ASM 136, Conan 1 9.2, Defenders 10 9.6.

 

For back issues, i don't think i would have much competition. The new issues i would have to find a way to break the barrier of entry. At this time i'm going to take a few months to see what sells and doesnt, letting me choose to either nix or grow that area. I figure the board games and tin toys may be the first to go - which takes up an entire 22 ft. wall. Then i may start carrying.

 

I would have devoted the back room (about 300 sq. feet) to comics but i was offered the opportunity to split the rent in exchange for that room + commission. I don't exactly see there being a wrong answer yet, but i can see myself in two months saying i wish i had new comics there instead of his records if they don't sell well.

[Foolkiller]

I've always been happy translating his grading into CGC grading. Some of the wall's cgc's came from him including the 9.6 ASM 136, Conan 1 9.2, Defenders 10 9.6.

 

If a store has back issues, then some are going to be wins. My experience with him overall as I looked at most of his books was that the grading was a bit soft. If I told you how many "wins" have come out of three or four stores I regularly shop at, it would explain why I poured tens of thousands of dollars in those stores and not at Pig. That being said, that's not the reason he went out of business... I think for most stores, they rely heavily on diamond and new material and if that goes awry, well, you know the rest.

 

I will say that I thought the owner was a really nice guy -- but doing essentially two jobs is not easy -- and it sounds like he had a number of obstacles.

[homerwannabee]

Thanks again guys - to catch up to some questions...

 

Not many atari collections come in. Its actually my weakest area of videogames. While people mention they still own it, they aren't willing to sell it due to nostalgic reasons. Funny that, on average its the weakest library of games $ wise when ive personally never been able to find one. I assume that will change one day.

 

I got laid off about 6 months ago from my job in Business Development/marketing at Mercedes-Benz HQ. Then i went back to my old job at a record store (which i had in college). I made a lot more money there actually, and all the comic/video game deals got passed right to me. The good thing is some things are consigned to the store, and actually this record gentleman consigned an entire room in the back since i didnt have enough stuff to fill the store. There's a record room filled with about 3,000 lps and singles. So i get a commission and he pays half the rent. The numbers work for me although i gave up a great job working for him. Only difference is now im working with him.

 

I don't know if the lights will fade the books - do incandescent lights fade them? Or do you mean fade as in stolen out there in the light? The way i situated the books makes it a difficult task for someone to rip them out of the wall, and they have to be tall to reach them, over 6'. They better have a gun or a knife on them if they want to steal something - im not an easy guy to take out. I also cant be Nieve - stuff will get stolen/broken by customers. I just have to always be paying attention.

 

I won't be carrying new books. It was like that post presented a month or two ago. I just don't see the new books making me enough money, at least at this time. My favorite comic store - Wildpigcomics.com just went out of business 3 weeks ago and he attributes it mostly to diamond screwing up his order each week (either heavily damaging the books or completely wrong orders) and losing customers because of it.

 

I know this is only one example, but the huge bills for diamond each week may hurt me until i get things flowing since i didn't take out a loan. Im sure most people will be split on this in saying "dumb move" or "i hear you", but like i said - at this time it didn't make sense. In the future, it might.

 

In lieu of not carrying new books, my vintage books are priced so that i would be able to have something along the lines of a "revolving door" inventory. I want things out of here, i want new stuff in. Its that simple. I want people to go to my twitter every day and see what i just bought/new collections/first crack.

 

Easier said than done - but when i was working at the record store, comic collections were almost once a week. I already have 3 collections waiting in the weeds for me, so in the next 3 months, expect a new stock almost every 2 weeks.

 

And this is probably what makes Atari 2600 collecting one of the strangest hobbies in the world. I swear it seems the non Atari 2600 collectors are actually more nostalgic than Atari 2600 collectors. See a person with a Space Invaders still in their house that is not a collector will regard this game like Amazing Fantasy 15. But the Atari 2600 collector regards this game as common rubbish. So much so that people who make new games for the system will actually buy Space Invader carts to strip, and put their homebrew game on. But then again there are not many of us Atari 2600 collectors so we can afford to destroy the carts. Just check Ebay sometime, and you will see that most Space Invader games go unsold. My guess is the person probably eventually throws them out. I have a feeling that 20 years from now people will look back with regret that so many of these games were thrown out or destroyed.

[HOTFLIPS]

Hey Marc.

 

Congrats on opening the store. It looks awesome. Best of Luck with it. I will stop by next time i am in Jersey. Tell that record guy and the other guy that works for him I said hello. Again, best of luck with the store. If you need anything, give me a shout,

 

Jeff

[ffxmen14-migration]

Cool Ill definitly stop by its only like 15 minutes from me. Great looking store

[taro90]

Congratulations on your new comic store. (thumbs u

[Calidream'n]

Just spied that Millenium Falcon in original box....nice!

[chrisco37]

Store looks great. I hope it does well for you.

 

We've had many discussions about opening stores here over the years. I assume (hope) that your store will have monthly subscription program. That's going ot be your bread & butter. You've also got the related merchandise, which is a must.

 

Regarding the lighting and potential fading of books, you really need to look into flourescent lighting. Incandescent lighting is far more damagning to the books. You can pick up some flourescent strip lights relatively cheap. It will be a cost as you've already got the incandescents (I assume they came with the store). You'll have to buy the fixtures and pay for install (unless you know how to do it; it's pretty simple really). But, it's definitely worth considering. The light produced is far less damaging to the books.

 

You can probably pick them up for less than $50/each (and that's a high estimate).

[PeasOfCrap]

 

I know the Joker's Child is up in your area and I can already tell you that if I were in your area I'd do everything I could to divert and shop where you were.

 

 

ah, lenny. haven't seen him in awhile.

[thehumantorch]

Thanks again guys - to catch up to some questions...

 

Not many atari collections come in. Its actually my weakest area of videogames. While people mention they still own it, they aren't willing to sell it due to nostalgic reasons. Funny that, on average its the weakest library of games $ wise when ive personally never been able to find one. I assume that will change one day.

 

I got laid off about 6 months ago from my job in Business Development/marketing at Mercedes-Benz HQ. Then i went back to my old job at a record store (which i had in college). I made a lot more money there actually, and all the comic/video game deals got passed right to me. The good thing is some things are consigned to the store, and actually this record gentleman consigned an entire room in the back since i didnt have enough stuff to fill the store. There's a record room filled with about 3,000 lps and singles. So i get a commission and he pays half the rent. The numbers work for me although i gave up a great job working for him. Only difference is now im working with him.

 

I don't know if the lights will fade the books - do incandescent lights fade them? Or do you mean fade as in stolen out there in the light? The way i situated the books makes it a difficult task for someone to rip them out of the wall, and they have to be tall to reach them, over 6'. They better have a gun or a knife on them if they want to steal something - im not an easy guy to take out. I also cant be Nieve - stuff will get stolen/broken by customers. I just have to always be paying attention.

 

I won't be carrying new books. It was like that post presented a month or two ago. I just don't see the new books making me enough money, at least at this time. My favorite comic store - Wildpigcomics.com just went out of business 3 weeks ago and he attributes it mostly to diamond screwing up his order each week (either heavily damaging the books or completely wrong orders) and losing customers because of it.

 

I know this is only one example, but the huge bills for diamond each week may hurt me until i get things flowing since i didn't take out a loan. Im sure most people will be split on this in saying "dumb move" or "i hear you", but like i said - at this time it didn't make sense. In the future, it might.

 

In lieu of not carrying new books, my vintage books are priced so that i would be able to have something along the lines of a "revolving door" inventory. I want things out of here, i want new stuff in. Its that simple. I want people to go to my twitter every day and see what i just bought/new collections/first crack.

 

Easier said than done - but when i was working at the record store, comic collections were almost once a week. I already have 3 collections waiting in the weeds for me, so in the next 3 months, expect a new stock almost every 2 weeks.

 

Incandescent lights or any light source will fade your books. Consider photocopying your better books and putting the copies on the wall.

 

You might also consider using different colour price stickers for different grades of wall books. I'm usually looking for high grade SA and wish I could spot the high grade books on the wall at a glance. On the reverse side I might spot an expensive key book that I can't afford in high grade and ask to look at it because I know from a glance at the price sticker that it is low grade.

 

I think you should reconsider carrying new comics. A file pull system doesn't take much room and your sell through is high if you just order enough comics for your file customers. New comic customers of today may become your back issue buyers of the future.

 

Subletting the back room is a great idea. Good luck with the store.

[chrisco37]

Whoops! I missed the part where you siad you weren't carrying new books.

 

I'd reconsider that. And fast. Even if you get minimal subscriptions, that's still the closest thing you'll have to guaranteed income. As a comic shop, you'll get a descent mark-up on the new issues. Even if you only sell new books via subscription (ie only order those books to meet your sub customers), you're still getting a good markup. Every little bit counts.

 

We had a thread recently discussing a "back issue only" type store. It sounds great, in theory. But, in reality, it would be incredibly difficult to sustain.

 

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

I was wondering about the auction angle as well.

 

In terms of new books, it's not a problem to wait and see how it goes. I was going to bring it up earlier but figured with so many different product areas you probably didn't have room and also might be diversified enough to not need it.

 

There are ways to get limited amounts of new books from other stores and not from Diamond. You won't get the same discount but you won't have the barrier to entry. You could just carry the main books plus the best 5-10 indies? Anyway, no harm in waiting to see if your customers want it.

 

I think the big difference in your store and the one we were discussing in the Dale Roberts thread is that you have a couple of different collectibles. We were saying that there aren't enough back issue collectors who will come in on a regular basis but if you have your comic guys, your video game guys, your toy guys, and your record guys, that's really a different story IMO.

 

You have two other huge advantages. 1) You struck at a time of very cheap rents. 2) You are by a huge population. And when you count the people from other eastern seaboard metro areas that will come by one to twelve times a year each, it's got a great chance.

 

The Twitter idea about new inventory is a good one. I'm going to be doing something like that later this year.

 

Marc