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My LCS is closing
Just went in today to order [I]Superman: Year One[/I] and found out that the comic shop that I normally get all my books from is closing. They're losing money. There are other places I could get my comics from in town but I got a discount here and this was one of the better places. They'll be closing at the end of July. It's strange because the owner has so many connections in the industry too. He's good friends with Cullen Bunn, for instance. He was at a signing there just a couple weeks ago. Half their inventory was wiped out. Everything was 1/2 off. It's so disappointing to see this happen. I just felt like venting.:(
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Sorry to hear that. I've been to so many good comic shops and the two near me do the bare minimum to keep business. So I kinda feel you there. I've been wondering for a while if anyone here gets new stuff and at least pre crisis Superman back issues from a reliable online source. I just need physical copies, I'll never give up.
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[QUOTE=Kuwagaton;4360209]Sorry to hear that. I've been to so many good comic shops and the two near me do the bare minimum to keep business. So I kinda feel you there. I've been wondering for a while if anyone here gets new stuff and at least pre crisis Superman back issues from a reliable online source. I just need physical copies, I'll never give up.[/QUOTE]
I've been getting new books from DCBService.com for the last three or so years. They are very reliable and have great customer service. I read mostly digital now, so the delay in new issues doesn't bother me much. They offer a 40-50% discount, so if you're ok with monthly shipping it's a solid deal.
Backissues, I've used MyComicShop and Atomic Avenue.
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[QUOTE=superduperman;4359811]Just went in today to order [I]Superman: Year One[/I] and found out that the comic shop that I normally get all my books from is closing. They're losing money. There are other places I could get my comics from in town but I got a discount here and this was one of the better places. They'll be closing at the end of July. It's strange because the owner has so many connections in the industry too. He's good friends with Cullen Bunn, for instance. He was at a signing there just a couple weeks ago. Half their inventory was wiped out. Everything was 1/2 off. It's so disappointing to see this happen. I just felt like venting. :( [/QUOTE]Been there / done that towards the start of last year.
I'm using another store now that's also been around for a long time, and the staff is nice enough. But it's not quite as quick/easy to get to as where I had been going, so I don't go every week any longer.
Good luck figuring what will work out best for you; is your current store suggesting any particular place to switch to?
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Bummer about the shop.
While I am realistic about the nuts and bolts not being with shops being able to stay afloat, it's always sad to see one having to close.
Also, a bit of venting about this sort of thing seems perfectly fine to me.
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[QUOTE=MajorHoy;4360249]Been there / done that towards the start of last year.
I'm using another store now that's also been around for a long time, and the staff is nice enough. But it's not quite as quick/easy to get to as where I had been going, so I don't go every week any longer.
Good luck figuring what will work out best for you; is your current store suggesting any particular place to switch to?[/QUOTE]
Same sort of thing happened to me when my old shop had to close.
Worked out, if not perfectly.
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[QUOTE=superduperman;4359811]Just went in today to order [I]Superman: Year One[/I] and found out that the comic shop that I normally get all my books from is closing. They're losing money. There are other places I could get my comics from in town but I got a discount here and this was one of the better places. They'll be closing at the end of July. It's strange because the owner has so many connections in the industry too. He's good friends with Cullen Bunn, for instance. He was at a signing there just a couple weeks ago. Half their inventory was wiped out. Everything was 1/2 off. It's so disappointing to see this happen. I just felt like venting.:([/QUOTE]
This does suck. Colorado has a lot of good shops in the Denver area, but even here we've had a few shut down recently. Mile High closed one of their locations after like decades over astronomical rent increases. Their sales were fine but they couldn't keep up with the increases. Switching shops can be tough. I don't keep a sub, I use DCBS, because the shop I like is an hour away and the local ones I'm not crazy about. Ask around, most will give subs discounts if you preorder.
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[QUOTE=MajorHoy;4360249]Been there / done that towards the start of last year.
I'm using another store now that's also been around for a long time, and the staff is nice enough. But it's not quite as quick/easy to get to as where I had been going, so I don't go every week any longer.
Good luck figuring what will work out best for you; is your current store suggesting any particular place to switch to?[/QUOTE]
No. He used to work at one of the chain stores in town. The kind that sell movies, TV shows, and albums along with comics. He hated it. Part of the problem there is that you have to have at least three subscriptions to get a discount. Here you didn't need to. There are a few local ones but they don't have nearly the selection of back issues. There is one on the far north end of town I've never been to because it's a hassle to get to but I may try it. I don't mind using the chain store but this was so much more convenient. Easier to reserve things. The only real upside to the chain store is that they sell GN for cheap but so did my current place.
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[QUOTE=superduperman;4359811]Just went in today to order [I]Superman: Year One[/I] and found out that the comic shop that I normally get all my books from is closing. They're losing money. There are other places I could get my comics from in town but I got a discount here and this was one of the better places. They'll be closing at the end of July. It's strange because the owner has so many connections in the industry too. He's good friends with Cullen Bunn, for instance. He was at a signing there just a couple weeks ago. Half their inventory was wiped out. Everything was 1/2 off. It's so disappointing to see this happen. I just felt like venting.:([/QUOTE]
Sorry to hear that. Good stores can be hard to find. Back in the 80's early 90's I simply picked up my books based on where I was at in the city on a given Friday. Then the Death of Superman hit along with early Valiant and I found myself needing to pre-order books just so I didn't miss something that sold out before I got to a store.
The place I was dealing with before my current store just up and vanished on me. Went in one week and the guy told me he was moving the store to a nearby location and it might be a week or two before he reopened. I'd gotten good service so I figured I'd just pick up what I missed when he reopened. But after about 2 months and no news I wound up having to chase down all those no longer current issues while looking for a new store. Luckily this one has stuck around though it took a bit before my new preorders kicked in so he was back ordering for a few months just to get me caught up.
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I feel your pain. My main comic shop I patroned since I was a kid closed down in 2014. A new store owned by a different person opened in 2016 but it just isn't the same. It's doing pretty well all things considered. I still read regularly via digital,but I think once my old store closed a lot of my collecting bug went away too. It's hard to describe really. I still buy the occasional collection or back issue but It felt like a great bit of the joy I had wrapped up in that hobby was intrinsic to that store and those memories associated with it.
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Me, I've never had a LCS, it's why I stick with trades rather than single issue floppies, makes more sense when ordering online. I definitely believe that the brick and mortar comic book store will die out long before comic books themselves do. It sucks, but it is what it is.
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I had a comic store that I relied on for years, but after moving around over the years I started dealing with an online retailer atomicempire.com (years ago they were called scifigenre.com) and found them to be a great service! I've been using them since 2004 and never had a problem with them. Their customer service is top notch, they ship very securely, all books come bagged/boarded, and they offer various discounts depending on how many titles you subscribe to. I highly recommend them!
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[QUOTE=RickWJ324;4361515]I had a comic store that I relied on for years, but after moving around over the years I started dealing with an online retailer atomicempire.com (years ago they were called scifigenre.com) and found them to be a great service! I've been using them since 2004 and never had a problem with them. Their customer service is top notch, they ship very securely, all books come bagged/boarded, and they offer various discounts depending on how many titles you subscribe to. I highly recommend them![/QUOTE]
I feel like I've heard of them, and what I heard was good.
Sorry about your shop, man. That sucks. I've seen a couple go out of business, but none that I frequented for long periods or had any attachment to. The place I use now I've been going to for.....gods, over a dozen years now I think? If they shut down I think I would definitely be done with print floppies.
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Thanks everyone. I don't know that I would necessarily consider the owner a friend. I was hardly his best customer. But he was very supportive when my brother died and he understood that I didn't always have the most money to buy things. And he had a great selection of back issues from most eras. Even a lot of GA stuff! I think at one point he had like the second or third appearance of Superboy! Some of the best memories are just listening to him and his buddies tell stories about all the people in the industry they met at conventions. How he had Stan Lee sign something. And when he pointed out a typo, his handler tore it up and had him sign another one. Or how the line to meet Stephen Amell was out the door! I think I already said that Cullen Bunn was a frequent visitor to the store. He would always set something aside for me if I asked. I'm really gonna miss the place. :(
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My shop didn't close but I moved to another state.
Having earlier dropped single issues, followed by online discounts even when I found a great store not far from me I didn't really have a reason to be there. I had made friends over time as a customer but if your just going in to talk comics and not buy it's kind of a odd so I didn't bother. Now I'm all digital unless DC puts out more Legion of Superhero Omnibus, and again I'd buy it online for cheap.