How do you buy a Comic Store?

[shadroch]

"location, location, location.

 

 

Doesnt matter where you put your store. With comics, people look for you. Someone that doesnt read comics or play card games isnt going to drive past your store and stop by. Its not like a restaurant where you need to be seen. The best shop in GA is in the middle of nowhere in a lower income part of town next to nothing.

I was going to open right next door to a comic shop but it had this showcase front that took up space and i didnt like it. My dream would be right across the street from him. Maybe later.

 

 

 

Worse advice ever.

[RCheli]

I saw a report from about a decade or so ago (so take that with a grain of salt) that said that when a comic store closed, the vast majority of its customers just stopped collecting comics altogether instead of going to another shop. And that when a new shop opened, the vast majority of its customers were those who either were not collecting comics in the first place or had stopped some time ago.

 

Remember, we are not your normal comic book fans. We are, for the most part, long-time collectors with large collections. That is not your regular comic collector.

[revat]

I saw a report from about a decade or so ago (so take that with a grain of salt) that said that when a comic store closed, the vast majority of its customers just stopped collecting comics altogether instead of going to another shop. And that when a new shop opened, the vast majority of its customers were those who either were not collecting comics in the first place or had stopped some time ago.

 

Remember, we are not your normal comic book fans. We are, for the most part, long-time collectors with large collections. That is not your regular comic collector.

 

Personal Anecdote that coincides with this point.

 

I collected comics as a kid, mostly from the newsstand, with my parents buying them for me mostly up til I became a teenager, then my money became too valuable for comics.

 

I got back into comics when I moved for my first job after grad school, and there was a comic shop I passed by every day to/from work. I wasn't a huge subscriber or nothing, but bought 3-5 comics per month and some random stuff I found interesting. After passing by everyday for a while, you're gonna stop in for something, and possibly get sucked in....

 

Now there's no LCS between work and my home (I've moved and changed jobs multiple times), and while I have more money than I did fresh out of college, I don't go to the LCS with any regularity (admittedly other things have changed too like marriage and reading comics on the ipad).

 

And I don't think my story is too unique.

[Batman1fan]

Id like to add a little story as to how much of your life owning a comic book store can consume. As you can see, I'm from Nebraska, and when I was in college in Lincoln back in the 1990s, I frequented what may well be the most famous comic book store that nobody outside of a very few have ever heard of. How many of us watch The Big Bang Theory? Probably a lot of us. Unless you're from Nebraska, you probably could care less why it's made known that's where Penny is from, but did you ever wonder where all of the comic book references came from? Here it is: One of the main producers of that show, Lee Arohnson, started a comic book store in Lincoln, Nebraska back in the early 1970s. He ran it for a couple of years and then sold it to the same fine gentleman who still owns it today, because he wanted to go to Hollywood. He even kept the name the same. I'm not going to name the store, but if you search comic book stores in Lincoln, Nebraska, you'll find it, it's probably the only one still there. If you ever wondered where all the comic book references as well as Penny being from Nebraska came from, there you go. If you find the store, and they have a great online store as well, I would definitely not contact the owner asking questions about The Big Bang Theory though, as I believe he's talked it to death over the past few years and I don't think he cares too much for the former owner. My point here is, I was buying comics from this guy back in 1992 and 20 some years later, he's still in the same place doing the same thing and he was there for 15 or 16 years before that. The last time I talked to him, he didn't even collect comics anymore, yet he has devoted his life to them for the last forty years. Is that what YOU really want to do?

[Sqeggs]

I'm not going to name the store,

 

Interesting story, but why not name the store?

[Batman1fan]

I'm not going to name the store,

 

Interesting story, but why not name the store?

I just don't want it to look like I'm trying to give them free advertising, being in business over 40 years he probably doesn't need it.

[Comic Book Guy]

I'm not going to name the store,

 

Interesting story, but why not name the store?

I just don't want it to look like I'm trying to give them free advertising, being in business over 40 years he probably doesn't need it.

 

Your story seems more like a tale of success rather than heartache or anything else.

 

He bought a store over 20 years ago, is still in business and from what you say, he is still pretty successful and has a well known shop that doesn't need any free advertising.

 

I bet the OP would love for that to be his story.

[Sqeggs]

I'm not going to name the store,

 

Interesting story, but why not name the store?

I just don't want it to look like I'm trying to give them free advertising, being in business over 40 years he probably doesn't need it.

 

Why not?

 

Trade-A-Tape Comic Center?

 

Comic World?

 

Only two Lincoln stores I could find on Google.

 

 

 

 

[Batman1fan]

I'm not going to name the store,

 

Interesting story, but why not name the store?

I just don't want it to look like I'm trying to give them free advertising, being in business over 40 years he probably doesn't need it.

 

Why not?

 

Trade-A-Tape Comic Center?

 

Comic World?

 

Only two Lincoln stores I could find on Google.

It's Trade-A-Tape

I never even heard of Comic World.

 

 

[Batman1fan]

I'm not going to name the store,

 

Interesting story, but why not name the store?

I just don't want it to look like I'm trying to give them free advertising, being in business over 40 years he probably doesn't need it.

 

Your story seems more like a tale of success rather than heartache or anything else.

 

He bought a store over 20 years ago, is still in business and from what you say, he is still pretty successful and has a well known shop that doesn't need any free advertising.

 

I bet the OP would love for that to be his story.

He probably would, but at what cost? I guarantee the owner of that store doesn't know what a 60 hour week is, probably closer to 80 plus would be my guess. Does the OP want to put in those kinds of hours? If so, great, I wish him the best of luck, because without those kinds of hours, making a living at that job will be tough.

[wormboy]

"I'm getting the cheapest sign they have and having a friend stand outside when it gets dark to shine a flashlight on it."

 

[G.A.tor]

"location, location, location.

 

 

Doesnt matter where you put your store. With comics, people look for you. Someone that doesnt read comics or play card games isnt going to drive past your store and stop by. Its not like a restaurant where you need to be seen. The best shop in GA is in the middle of nowhere in a lower income part of town next to nothing.

I was going to open right next door to a comic shop but it had this showcase front that took up space and i didnt like it. My dream would be right across the street from him. Maybe later.

 

 

 

Worse advice ever.

 

agreed...as I mentioned, location is paramount to any store to some extent, but very important a new operation...

 

my store is on the busiest intersection in town, and I'm there for a reason...and I pay the premium rents to be there....

 

I can't tell you how many times over the past 5 years I've had customers walk in from seeing our sign on the marquee and tell me "I had no idea you all were here...how long you been open"...saw your sign on the road and stopped in....

many of them are now some of our best customers....

 

so again, location, location, location Is incredibly important to a new operation...and worth paying for in my experience

[wormboy]

To the guys who own a store or have owned a store - if you wanted to focus on vintage comics and toys, but still make some money on new books and trades, what would be the minimum number of new comics titles you could carry? Same question for trades. Thank you.

[G.A.tor]

I carry the top 250 and then the top 80 or so non top 250 my subscribers order.

 

Always have the top 100 trades in stock and other 200+ of local demand

[youmechooz]

"location, location, location.

 

 

Doesnt matter where you put your store. With comics, people look for you. Someone that doesnt read comics or play card games isnt going to drive past your store and stop by. Its not like a restaurant where you need to be seen. The best shop in GA is in the middle of nowhere in a lower income part of town next to nothing.

I was going to open right next door to a comic shop but it had this showcase front that took up space and i didnt like it. My dream would be right across the street from him. Maybe later.

 

 

 

Worse advice ever.

I agree. I'm on a major highway. I wrote that feeling confrontational. I really am speaking out my

[youmechooz]

"location, location, location.

 

 

Doesnt matter where you put your store. With comics, people look for you. Someone that doesnt read comics or play card games isnt going to drive past your store and stop by. Its not like a restaurant where you need to be seen. The best shop in GA is in the middle of nowhere in a lower income part of town next to nothing.

I was going to open right next door to a comic shop but it had this showcase front that took up space and i didnt like it. My dream would be right across the street from him. Maybe later.

 

 

 

Worse advice ever.

 

agreed...as I mentioned, location is paramount to any store to some extent, but very important a new operation...

 

my store is on the busiest intersection in town, and I'm there for a reason...and I pay the premium rents to be there....

 

I can't tell you how many times over the past 5 years I've had customers walk in from seeing our sign on the marquee and tell me "I had no idea you all were here...how long you been open"...saw your sign on the road and stopped in....

many of them are now some of our best customers....

 

so again, location, location, location Is incredibly important to a new operation...and worth paying for in my experience

I agree mostly. Except my wife's store. terrible location but does well.

[batman_fan]

I personally think parking is critical. If it is hard to park a lot of people won't come. All about books and comics on Camelback in Phoenix had the worst parking imaginable which radically reduced my drop ins. Time Warp in Boulder has pretty decent parking any I visit much more frequently.

[wormboy]

I carry the top 250 and then the top 80 or so non top 250 my subscribers order.

 

Always have the top 100 trades in stock and other 200+ of local demand

 

Thanks G.A.tor!

 

Apologies OP for butting in to your thread, but it's getting me fired up to open a shop. It's always been a dream.

[Dick Pontoon]

"location, location, location.

 

 

Doesnt matter where you put your store. With comics, people look for you. Someone that doesnt read comics or play card games isnt going to drive past your store and stop by. Its not like a restaurant where you need to be seen. The best shop in GA is in the middle of nowhere in a lower income part of town next to nothing.

I was going to open right next door to a comic shop but it had this showcase front that took up space and i didnt like it. My dream would be right across the street from him. Maybe later.

 

 

 

Worse advice ever.

 

Bill -

 

Are you intentionally misquoting me or did you mess up? Youmechooz made that statement, not me. I didn't think that was a good idea and your post makes it read as though I said "Doesn't matter where you put your store," and now several posts that have followed have used your misquote. You should go back and read what I said.

[KPR Comics]

Worse?