To make my life easier, I'm reprinting (and updating) some of my comic book industry essays from my now-defunct Opinion Page (which, seriously, was an early attempt at a blog).
This one is getting reprinted now because of a link I found on Neilalien's Blog about really crappy comic shops (thanks also to Journalista for reminding me about it).
a stupid little rant by Laura Gjovaag
This is the story of two comic book shops, or at least my perceptions, as a woman who reads and collects comic books, of the two shops. The first one is my current shop: Corner Comics. The other one I can't name, but we'll call it Out Of Business Comics, since they now are. In my opinion, these two shops represent the extremes. One is the zenith of shops, the best of the best. The other was slightly worse than the stereotype.
Corner Comics is located in a strip mall next to a bookstore (Corner Books). The location is well lit after dark, and the store itself is inviting and open. The new comics are clearly marked on the main racks along the wall, with nice old editions in the display case near the cash register. Other back issues are in comic boxes neatly arranged in alphabetical order on shelves. When you enter the shop, Paige or Carol, the store employees, greet you. If they don't know you, they ask if they can help, if they do know you, they greet you by name. If you can't find a back issue in the stacks, they'll run into the back room and check for you. If they don't have it, they'll order it.
Out Of Business Comics was a smallish shop that had moved from a larger location some time before I visited it. The store was overcrowded with piles of comic boxes... so much so that it was actually difficult to get into the store. The new comics were nowhere to be seen. When I inquired where they were, I was waved to the back of the store, to a rack that was hemmed in by shelves and so crowded that two people couldn't pass if they were both looking at them, and wasn't properly lighted so you could barely read the titles of the books. To get back there, I had to cross in front of a group of people watching an "R" rated movie on a TV that had the volume cranked up. When I crossed in front of them, they made comments about me being in the way. As I was searching for back issues, I asked the person at the counter if I could look in the many, many comic boxes. He told me no, and tried to take my list. I left.
When most people hear the words "Comic Book Shop" they think of places like Out Of Business Comics. Sadly, for every one Corner Comics, there seems to be at least four or five OOBs, though the number is shrinking. The majority of the shops I've been in seem to be run like Out Of Business Comics. People like to point out that this is just due to the way Comic Book Shops evolved: fans who didn't understand business starting shops and running them however they pleased. But in today's market, that philosophy doesn't wash. If you want to run a shop, you've got to appeal. And most comic shops do not appeal.
The sad fact is, most shops could appeal if they changed only a few things. Having someone greet you when you enter a shop is a sure sign the staff is on the ball. Being able to find the stock without doing a full search and rescue is also nice. Room to move in the shop is good, especially for people like me who are mildly claustrophobic. A well lit shop feels more secure than a dark hole in the wall.
In 1997, Friends of Lulu, an organization devoted to getting more women (and readers of both genders) into the comics field, printed a book called "How To Get Girls (Into Your Store)". While the title implies that it's about getting women into comic book stores, the advice given in the book applies to all businesses, and applies to simply getting normal people into shops. If you are a retailer, get a copy and read it. If you are a comic book customer, you might want to take a look too. There's some interesting stuff in there about business basics.
The point of this rant is that, despite what some fans think, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about selling comics. Too many shops are following the wrong way, and driving off potential customers by ignoring the retail basics. Learn the right way before you start trying to sell comics. Let's see if we can eradicate the stereotype of comic shops being dungeons populated by fat fanboys.
This column is copyright 1999, 2003 by Laura Gjovaag. March 1999
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