Moondog Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Yep. 2 doors down from the Olde Town Inn. where was that at Gary? Downtown Mt. Prospect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moondog Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 Yep. 2 doors down from the Olde Town Inn. In 1978, I was only 14. When did you close your LCS? I sold my 6 store chain in April 1994. The company that bought them went bankrupt in April 1996... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjum12 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 How old were you when you first opened your doors, Gary ? GOD BLESS... -jimbo(a friend of jesus) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCheli Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 The legendary Passaic Book Center. In the mid-90s, I was living in New Jersey and found a pile of "adult" paperbacks from the 60s (novels of the sexual nature) at a local garage sale. The person selling them was more than happy to sell about 50 of them for $5 just to get them out of their house. I drove up to the Passaic Book Center and traded them for a pile of FFs from the early 20s. Good times... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moondog Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 How old were you when you first opened your doors, Gary ? GOD BLESS... -jimbo(a friend of jesus) I was 24 when I started dealing comics in 1975 (though I was dealing back issues through fanzines in the mid-60s when I was in high school) and was 27 when I opened my first shop. Big.Mike and Browns81 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine48 Posted September 23, 2016 Share Posted September 23, 2016 too cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoMan Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 (edited) Wish I could find someone from Manassas, Virginia. Mine was Bill's Books and Things, late 70s. Was brought by a guy named Joe and became Joe's Books and Things. I worked there as a kid bagging comics and got paid in store credit. Joe moved to the Fairfax area. Opened a store there. He died of a heart attack many years ago. Come to think of it there was a store in Fredericksburg, Virginia called Maria's Books .Used to stay with my grandmother and walk there as a kid. I can't find a single thing on the internet about those comic shops. Maybe it was all a dream... Edited September 24, 2016 by NoMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batman_fan Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 My first real comic book store experience was Mile High Comics in Ft Collins, CO back in the late 70s. Prior to that, it was good old Robert Bell via mail order. I was in awe of all the silver age Mile High had. Sadly that location closed and it wasn't until I could drive that I would make the 2 hour drive to Mile High Comics at 308 South Broadway Street in Denver, CO. I also went to their Boulder store once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze_rules Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 How old were you when you first opened your doors, Gary ? GOD BLESS... -jimbo(a friend of jesus) I was 24 when I started dealing comics in 1975 (though I was dealing back issues through fanzines in the mid-60s when I was in high school) and was 27 when I opened my first shop. Thanks for sharing. It always amazes me to look at the older ads and see this wide range of grades at one fixed price. I don't remember who I bought from, but years ago I recall ordering Sub_Mariner 1 with some wide range like that, and amazingly it arrived much closer to mint. Those were the days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moondog Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 Fantasy Masterpieces 1 was worth as much as X-Men 1 and Avengers 1... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingDonut Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 Fantasy Masterpieces 1 was worth as much as X-Men 1 and Avengers 1... Free shipping on orders over $3! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JollyComics Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 Yep. 2 doors down from the Olde Town Inn. In 1978, I was only 14. When did you close your LCS? I sold my 6 store chain in April 1994. The company that bought them went bankrupt in April 1996... What a good timing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JollyComics Posted September 25, 2016 Share Posted September 25, 2016 How old were you when you first opened your doors, Gary ? GOD BLESS... -jimbo(a friend of jesus) I was 24 when I started dealing comics in 1975 (though I was dealing back issues through fanzines in the mid-60s when I was in high school) and was 27 when I opened my first shop. Thanks for sharing. It always amazes me to look at the older ads and see this wide range of grades at one fixed price. I don't remember who I bought from, but years ago I recall ordering Sub_Mariner 1 with some wide range like that, and amazingly it arrived much closer to mint. Those were the days. I love smelling of the old carbon copy machine and cc yellow papers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine48 Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SushiX Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 My first lcs was in Fort Bragg California (not north Carolina) call R&B comics in 1991,the owner was Bob foster who was super cool. I was 9 years old and I remember that place was my second home? at the time jurassic park movie just came out and it was Shaquilles rookie year and valiant was booming at the time? RAI 3 was the ultimate goal in collecting at that age, never got it until 4 years back.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dbrewer75 Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Alpha Books in Fort Smith, Arkansas They sold new and back issue comics as well as general books/magazines from the early 1900s on up. They rarely had "wall books" but he had an X-Men 94 in the glass counter by the cash register for months. I would drool at it every week when I got my box of comics. Looking back his prices were outrageously high for back issues but me and my friends happily bought them up because it was the only place in town. The owner died back in the mid-90s and the place closed up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bray Posted November 18, 2016 Share Posted November 18, 2016 Books and Buttons in Bowling Green Ky. which was an hour away from my house -- this would have been around 1981-or 82 -- James Miles was the owner and operator -- it was located in the "old" mall , since a new one was just coming up across town . It had the usual selection of current books along with some silver and bronze , I bought my 1`st silver age book there ( Strange Tales # 161 for .75 ) James also put on shows at the mall too and the 1`st show I ever set up at was in November of 1983 if my memory is correct . I split a table with a couple of high school friends and think it was about $10 a piece .... memories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nld3 Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 (edited) On 9/17/2016 at 8:02 PM, namisgr said: For new issues, it was and My first back issue shop was Fat Jack's at its original Walnut Street location in Philadelphia: Head shop up the steps, comic shop down the steps (it moved to Sansom Street, but the Head Shop, Wonderland, is still going strong). I remember a place located near there called Comics for Collecters that pre-dated Fat Jacks. It was upstairs above the Pleasure Chest If I recall correctly. First Fat Jacks comic store I recall was the one around the corner on 20th Street. Before Mike moved the store right across 20th street to the corner shop that is now a pizza shop and then around the corner from Hoagie City now Shake Shack to it’s current location. There was also a little mom and pop record & comic store next to the Fat Jacks Sampson Street shop that always undersold Mike on new comics. Mike tried to get the Hoagie City/Shake shack corner spot but couldn’t for some reason. Edited March 19, 2018 by nld3 Larryw7 and namisgr 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nld3 Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 On 9/18/2016 at 7:24 AM, NP_Gresham said: The Million Year Picnic in Cambridge around 1980 I bought Hulk #181 for $1 Got a lot of flack from my sister for paying that much for a comic book Just went there last Thursday, it has not moved. My fondest memories are of the Norton flea market That was the best place to get comics. I once passed on ASM #1 for $20 because I only brought $20 and I wanted to leave with more than 1 comic book. I’ve visited a friend in Boston in 1981 and went to the Million Year Picnic . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namisgr Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 (edited) 5 hours ago, nld3 said: I remember a place located near there called Comics for Collecters that pre-dated Fat Jacks. It was upstairs above the Pleasure Chest If I recall correctly. First Fat Jacks comic store I recall was the one around the corner on 20th Street. Before Mike moved the store right across 20th street to the corner shop that is now a pizza shop and then around the corner from Hoagie City now Shack Shack to it’s current location. There was also a little mom and pop record & comic store next to the Fat Jacks Sampson Street shop that always undersold Mike on new comics. Mike tried to get the Hoagie City/Shake shack corner spot but couldn’t for some reason. That's the one, Comics for Collectors. Thanks for setting the record straight on it. When I came back to the city after moving away, I thought it had moved around the corner and changed its name to Fat Jack's. I remember C for C with great fondness as being poorly lit and filled with that wonderful smell of old comics, and also a great place to buy posters. My fuzzy recollection is that the head shop there was called Wonderland, with the sex shop The Pleasure Chest later replacing the comic shop. Edited March 18, 2018 by namisgr nld3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...