Any shops in the Minneapolis, MN area?

[FlyingDonut]

How bad is this "Midway Books" place? I want stories!

[Hamlet]

My only experience with them is from 20 years ago.

 

At the time, they had the annoying policy of writing their prices on the backs of the comics in pencil.

 

I expressed dissatisfaction with that system, but they felt it was more important to prevent people from switching comics than to not damage their comics.

 

I haven't been back since.

 

How bad is this "Midway Books" place? I want stories!

[Doc Joe]

How bad is this "Midway Books" place? I want stories!

 

I will try to sneak some photos of the place on wednesday. It's 4 minutes drive from me, from my luxury avenue to a bit of a ghetto.

 

zurzolo said the guy used to have great books, everyone would love to see what he had at shows, but now not much. He hates cgc, I asked him if he had any good books, sure it's vague but anyone here would, hopefully, know what we were talking about. Key books, classic covers, hard to find etc etc, he basically refused to answer I.e. He did not.

 

He had some of those strange tales (?) pulps in a display, I asked him is he could tell me a bit about them, he said "you know what they are" and would not say anymore. They were priced at like $200 each.

 

He has new releases, boxes of old readers, a display case with overpriced 8.0-8.5s. He has some hardcovers, like the large ec collections all at full price.

 

And the rest of the store is a massive second hand book store.

 

When I introduced myself at a Chicago show and told him I lived near by, he was completely uninterested. I asked him if he lived near the store and his response was "live in the ghetto with those people?, why would I do that"

 

Real charmer.

 

Still, it's a store, and it has comics in it. What's not to like.

[jerome34]

Some 20+ years ago, when I started as a dealer, I went to a show in Kansas City.

I went early so I had a day before the show to hit the local stores. At one store,

the dealer learned I was from the Twin Cities. He immediately went into a 10

minute rant on an obnoxious and slimy dealer from the TC. It was very clear that

he was describing the owner of Midway Books.

 

There was a half-way home for the developmentally disabled near his store. A

man with a very limited education wandered into the store and bought a very

technical book for $15. When he got back to the home, it was clear he would

not be able to understand much of the book. After talking with one of the

employees at the house, the employee tried to return the book to Midway.

The owner refused to accept it back after the situation was described to him.

 

He saw an ad for a garage sale at the parent's house of one of his customers

who collected Golden Age comics. He went there early and found that the

mother of the collector had put her son's collection out at $1.00 per book.

He bought them all. When the collector came to the store inquiring about his

books, he was told he could buy them back AT FULL CURRENT RETAIL

PRICE.

 

If you wish additional stories, I have some and others, I am sure, have

more stories I have not heard.

 

Most of these stories I learned after I stopped going to his store because

of the verbal abuse he gave to me and everyone else he spoke to. I have

not been in his store for 20 years and warn everyone else to avoid him.

[asteroid-comix]

Just got back from a business trip to Minneapolis. I had known about Hot Comics up in New Hope from a previous trip. However, this trip I was able to hit a few more shops in the area.

 

The shop that was posted about in Richfield is actually a second location for Hot Comics, but I like the stock in the store in New Hope a bit better.

 

Big Brain was a cool shop and the guys working there were pretty cool as well. However, two boxes of modern drek was the extent of the back issue selection. Lots of trades.

 

Nostalgia Zone was a really cool shop and by far the best of the lot. The owner was a knowledgeable guy willing to talk shop. He knew a lot of the dealers and collectors that I've met here in Ohio. Big downside was that there was not a huge selection of really high grade books. The shop has thousands and thousands of back issues on floor to ceiling shelves, but none have boards. Having said that, I was still able to pull a 9.4/9.6 GL #92 that cost me $2.40. Whenever I’m back in MN, I'm going to make it a point to swing by this one.