The worst

[electricprune]

Thanks to the provided link this misadventure has some illustrations.

 

 

I can't believe everyone is just walking by that 1990 Pro Set box on the floor like it's not worth anything.

[Davenport]

A long time ago I hit a comic shop I think was worse.

 

Small old strip mall, super, super cluttered, dank, dusty and unorganized. The owner had this strange vibe right off the bat.

 

As I dug around and found cool things the "how much for this?" was answered with "oh, that's something I'm keeping." Or "That? It's not for sale." Over and over, no matter what I pulled out of that mess...Not for sale.

 

Finally dawned on me the guy was a Pack Rat emotionally attached to every last item in his 'store'. I left wondering why it was open to the public at all.

[Michelangelo]

i hope you bought some hand sanitizer after visiting that place.

[Wally's Comics]

so Dan are you going back???

 

The store owner is holding the book stack waiting for your return.

 

 

If you don't go back there is a restocking fee...

 

 

[underthebigw]

Two words (Donut knows what's coming):

 

Bugs.

 

Mold.

 

 

[jools&jim]

 

Seriously, Dan: I've been in worse...much worse (e.g., porn; rotting food on rusty hot-plates; dope; mildew; bongs; cat p!ss; mafiosos; more porn; cantaloupes; skids of Dazzler #1s; crooks; etc.).

 

You Chi-town boys forget that the East Coast invented the bottom of the barrel...

 

 

[kav]

You haven't been in a comic shop till you've been in one that's stealing electricity from it's neighbor.

[Meeklo]

You haven't been in a comic shop till you've been in one that's stealing electricity from it's neighbor.

 

We used to have one that didn't even use lights. It was only open during daylight and it had big windows in the front.

[dupont2005]

Just found a pretty bad one in my town, but it's more of a junk shop with comics. He doesn't stock new issues or anything, but in the back are several file cabinets with 90's drek haphazardly tossed in them. In a manner that destroys them of course. I found some Aircel and Silverwolf I thought of buying, but then I decided not to even ask what they cost because I saw some worthless third tier Marvel title with a ridiculous pricetag on it. Walked out of there.

[dupont2005]

Thanks to the provided link this misadventure has some illustrations.

 

I've been in one way messier than this but it was actually a cool store. Everything was cover price

 

Nothing was in order though, it was like they won a storage auction and opened a shop. The isles were so narrow I couldn't fit down half of them. Waist high piles of comics on the floor, unopened cardboard boxes of comics under more piles of comics. Nothing organized or in any order. You just had to sift through everything to see if you could find what you wanted. I know there was some gold to be found in there. I bought some Groo and TMNT but that's about it. I always wanted to spend a day at that place but it closed pretty quickly because there was a better (nicer and more organized, with current comics and pull lists) shop right across the street. But the potential in this one was definitely there.

[wombat]

I was in a pretty bad one recently. Not as bad as from this thread, but just boxes on top of boxes everywhere. Not much organization. In a few places you actually risked causing an avalanche of comics if you dug too deep. But the real kicker was no prices on anything. Or sometimes there were, but they meant nothing. I took up a stack and waited while he looked stuff up on ebay. Not even sold items, but listed items. Let's just say I didn't buy much.

[Psithyrus]

It was great seeing you today, Dan.

 

You definitely need more plants, Richard.

[comicnoir]

Hey, I've been looking for that issue of Daktari.

[ttfitz]

Exotic Planterium and Card Collectorama

 

Yes.

 

Plant store and comic store

 

1. Walked in

2. Boxes are - literally - crumbling. Owner says he cannot afford to buy new boxes.

3. Everything is dusty. Not dusty like your house. Dusty like years and years of dust

4. Piles and piles of stuff.

5. Great swaths of things "NOT FOR SALE" - after I start to look at them. (BTW, see #2).

6. Appears to have been frozen in time in about 1994. Does not appear to have any comics after that time period.

7. Every conceivable key is gone.

8. Was told that I was the first person in 42 years to move a box. Was a distributor box with the first issues of "Heroes Reborn" in them - those are from 1998. (BTW, see #2).

9. 90% of the books were unbagged. And wrinkled. And slumping. Picture a guy set up at a flea market. Now add dust.

10. Those books didn't have prices on them....or so I thought!

11. Finally pulled a pile of books, after giving up on half of the store.

12. Brought the pile of books to the guy. Nothing major. Couple 30 cent variants, a Legend of Zelda 1. Couple Crisis on Infinite Earths. A Peter Parker 90. A Superman Family 164. Nothing else.

13. See a loose pile of Megos, including a 1970s Thor, which was nice. "How much for the Thor?" I say.

14. We then spend 15 minutes trying to locate a sales price for the Thor, using a 1999 Action Figure Price Guide magazine. 1999.

15. I pull completed prices for the Thor on eBay on my phone so I have a clue. Figure about $60, but would have gone a little higher.

16. The books are still in the pile.

17. We give up on the Thor.

18. He starts to price the books. We aren't using a 1999 Overstreet.

19. $28 for Crisis 6. $20 for Peter Parker 90.

20. At this point - I'm 90 minutes in - I say, lets just go with the priced books, which was a Super Villain Team Up 7 30 center, Superman Family 164, and a couple others.

21. Total is $48.

22. I hand him an Amex card.

23. He looks at it and says "I don't take cards.:"

24. OK. This is common - lots of comic stores don't take Amex. Why, I don't know. So I hand him a Visa.

25. He says. "No, I don't take credit cards. There's an ATM in the 7-11 down the street."

26. At this point I say. "No thanks."

27. I move the ferns out of the way and walk down to my car.

 

I've been to this store. In fact, I used to visit this store regularly. It was a great place to pick up books you had missed over the previous 2-5 years at a decent price.

 

Now, I can say from later pictures in this thread, point #6 is correct, since I think it was sometime around 1994 that I was there last. From the look of things, it hasn't changed in the last 20 years, literally. Well, back then it didn't have all the plants, but all the rest was just like that, except 20 years newer.

 

Owner's name is Dennis, nice fellow but very quiet. Back in the day prices on most books could be found written lightly in pencil on the last page for the books in the boxes (no bag or board, that is true).

 

If I had known you were going there, Dan, I could have at least tipped you off that about half a block away you can get one of the best cheesesteaks in Northern Virginia. (Yeah, I know, some Philly folks will say that isn't saying much, but it's pretty good)

 

[01TheDude]

seems like an ideal place to find some good copies of Swamp Thing

[quicksilver]

Looks fantastic to me

 

reminds me of a shop in Leeds that used to sell comics and dope-related paraphernalia; and in a bit that was "beaded off" in the back, second-hand porno mags

 

But plants! Maybe we've been missing a trick all along, time to combine comic shows with garden centres?

Can you remember the name of that shop, or who owned it Ewan ?

[Ken Aldred]

Looks fantastic to me

 

reminds me of a shop in Leeds that used to sell comics and dope-related paraphernalia; and in a bit that was "beaded off" in the back, second-hand porno mags

 

But plants! Maybe we've been missing a trick all along, time to combine comic shows with garden centres?

Can you remember the name of that shop, or who owned it Ewan ?

 

Odyssey?

[EwanUK]

Looks fantastic to me

 

reminds me of a shop in Leeds that used to sell comics and dope-related paraphernalia; and in a bit that was "beaded off" in the back, second-hand porno mags

 

But plants! Maybe we've been missing a trick all along, time to combine comic shows with garden centres?

Can you remember the name of that shop, or who owned it Ewan ?

 

Odyssey?

 

haha no not Odyssey

 

talking 1984 / 1985 - it was on Boar Lane

 

I think it later moved up near the Grand ?

[EwanUK]

I think it's the black & gold sign down left from the classic "we buy owt" shop

 

[quicksilver]

I used to get guitars from the Surplus and Contact shops, never realized they had comics in the place next door though. Weren't the Golden Orbit comic fairs held just down the road from there ?

I remember Duncan had a Tec 27 in a case on the wall once - it cost more than our house I think !