Paul Howley 1970s/80s comic shop history (Sparkle City, The Great Escape, etc.) 1 1

[Zonker]

On-line and up to something like 60 installments (through 1988 so far).

 

I never made it to his That's Entertainment shop in Worchester when I lived in Boston years ago, but I was interested to read about his involvement in the creation of a couple of milestones in my own collecting history:

 

- One of the first employees at The Great Escape when founded in Nashville in the mid-1970s. (My first big-time LCS when I went to college in Nashville in 1981).

 

- One of the partners in Sparkle City, one of my major sources for mail order back issue comics in the late 1970s.

 

He also talks about finding a huge collection of late 1950s early 1960s DCs in Boston, but I'm not sure if that is related to the Boston Pedigree or not?

 

Anyway, if you're ever looking for an antidote to Chuck's Tales from the Database , give this a shot for another perspective on comic book retailing from 30 years ago:

 

web page

Edited June 28, 2007 by Zonker

[GACollectibles]

Isn't it Paul?

[Zonker]

I'll fix it. Edited June 28, 2007 by Zonker

[OldGuy]

That was posted here about a year ago. I had a lot of fun reading it. To bad he hasn't posted anything past chapter 59 in the last year.

[Zonker]

That was posted here about a year ago. I had a lot of fun reading it. To bad he hasn't posted anything past chapter 59 in the last year.

 

 

Classic N00b mistake. Sorry to let the class of '02 down.

 

(At least I didn't post in that earlier thread! )

[OldGuy]

That was posted here about a year ago. I had a lot of fun reading it. To bad he hasn't posted anything past chapter 59 in the last year.

 

 

Classic N00b mistake. Sorry to let the class of '02 down.

 

(At least I didn't post in that earlier thread! )

 

No, not getting down on you for posting it again (it's a fun read), I was just referencing the old post, not bagging on you for reposting.

[Zonker]

Yeah, I know, I was just riffing on the crusty old-timers versus newbie thing. Thanks for pointing me in the direction of Redhook's original thread, that was a nice read in and of itself.

[OldGuy]

[GACollectibles]

A recent update has been added.

 

Link

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[langur88]

Chapter 26 is my favorite.

 

The more things change......

[langur88]

Paul is a smart man. One of the few who knows the difference from his "real" life and his funny book life.

 

and who his friends are.

[Ringfinger]

Cool again...

[vodou]

If you ever visited That's Entertainment during the 80s and especially 1990s, you know there was no other comic "shop" like it anywhere within driving distance of Boston -at least, maybe even the entire East Coast? I'm updating Paul's story link as the old That's Entertainment links in prior posts are dead, most likely because Paul sold the business, "retired" and moved on to other things in life. Hopefully Paul didn't edit anything down/out when he moved it all over to his own blogspot. Long but I think very much worth the time to read.

My Life With Comic Books: A History of a Comic Store

A brief introduction: My name is Paul Howley, owner of the Eisner Award- winning pop culture collector’s store known as “ That’s Entertainment ” in Worcester, Massachusetts. My store has been around for over twenty-nine years. It’s been an interesting combination of events and people that have brought my store to its current place. It is not my intent to boast or brag about my store or my life…I just want to tell you my story.

https://mylifewithcomicbooks.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-life-with-comics-part-1.html

And this is one of my favorite pics showing just part of the wonder of the "store" that was more like a customer-friendly warehouse or what I like to call The Mile High Comics of the East Coast  

[Readcomix]

Thank you @vodou I just read the first few installments with morning coffee and have bookmarked the blog. I can see why you highly recommend this. What a great read so far! 

[Ken Aldred]

I didn't know that you could buy back issues direct from Marvel, even if that service was only offered for a short period of time in the early days. 12c a copy, as well. Even from Part 1, I'm learning something. 

Edited October 24, 2021 by Ken Aldred

[djzombi]

I travel to That's Entertainment a couple times a year for some deep-diving  

[universal soldier]

Very cool, That's E was my LCS for years including the mid 80's before they moved to the current location on Park Ave. Really a great store, I've pulled some real gems from their back issue boxes.

[universal soldier]

My 15 minutes of fame thanks to That's E.

ASM #666 store variant.

 

Yep, that's me.