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| Little Shop of Magic in Las Vegas, courtesy Little Shop of Magic |
"Specialty" retail such as comic and game stores needs specialty labor. Find out how owners are staffing up, trying to "work smarter," and handling security concerns, over at icv2.
Jim McLauchlin
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| Gib Bickel and The Laughing Ogre, courtesy Bickel |
The Laughing Ogre is one of the most venerable and respected comic stores in North America. Gib Bickel and friends founded it in 1994, and Bickel manages it to this day. He relays what he's learned, and how managing a Wendy's prepared him for entrepreneurship, over at icv2.
Jim McLauchlin
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| Steve Rotterdam, courtesy Rotterdam |
Steve Rotterdam has spent 35+ years at ad agencies and publishers. In that time, he's learned a LOT, and at Business 3x3, he shares the broad strokes of his career. The result is great advice, ESPECIALLY for young professionals just starting out. Please give it a read!
Jim McLauchlin
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| Bob Seabold and Tower Games, courtesy Tower Games |
Bob Seabold had a 27-year career in film and video production, but was feeling burned out. He turned to an old passion of his, gaming, and made friends with a game store owner. Then cam a text message from the owner: "Do you want to buy the store?"
Seabold took the bait and never looked back—except to share what he's learned. Read all about it HERE at icv2.
Jim McLauchlin
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| Elise the dog of Safari Pearl. Also, Kathy Sprague (all pics courtesy Safari Pearl) |
One typically does not think of Idaho as a haven for bohemians and liberalism, but then again, now many people are familiar with Safari Pearl? You will be after you read THIS about co-owner Kathy Sprague and a comic store/costume shop that's also a food pantry (and home of Elise the dog).
Jim McLauchlin
Fancy people call it [Haelan Laboratories, Inc. v. Topps Chewing Gum, Inc, 202 F.2d 866 (2nd Cir. 1953)], but to many it's just "The Halelan Labs decision." It's all about how penny packs of baseball cards CREATED the right of publicity precedent, and YOU can read all about it in the Oct-Nov 2021 issue of Beckett Vintage Collector, available in print and at Pocketmags.
Jim McLauchlin
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| Peter Birkemoe and The Beguiling, courtesy The Beguiling |
Peter Birkemore has a "reader-first" (not collector first) comic store in Toronto. Find out how being "the world's worst consumer" led him to owing and operating perhaps the deepest stock in North America over at icv2.
Jim McLauchlin
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| Distant Planet Comics and Brandy Cross, courtesy Cross |
Distant Planet Comics of Columbia, MO is a different kind of business. It's focused on ethics, and treats its customers like family. The result is a rewarding one, both financially and personally, for Brandy Cross. Real all about it at icv2.
Jim McLauchlin
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| Jami Jones and Infinite Realities, courtesy Infinite Realities |
Jami Jones "fell backward" into owning a comic store, and has dealt with running a business like a business while ALSO creating a community. Both are important, and both have served her well. Read all about it over at icv2.
Jim McLauchlin
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| Pan Neshek, from the June, 2021 Beckett Baseball |
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| Marc Hammond and Aw Yeah Comics, photos courtesy Hammond |
People READ during lockdown and SPENT at local businesses when they got their stimmy! Plus, collectibles markets BOOMED. Put them all together, and Marc Hammond and Aw Yeah Comics of Harrison, NY had their BEST year ever in 2020. Read all about it HERE.
Jim McLauchlin
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| Photo courtesy CGC |
All collectibles markets are on FIRE! In the sports card world, juggernaut PSA is suspending taking in 97% of new submissions for at least 60 days as it tries to hammer through its backlog.
Could a similar crimp hit comic books? It's possible, but grading services are desperately trying to hire to avoid that possibility. Read about it at Newsarama!
Jim McLauchlin
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| Megabrain caricatures and store, courtesy Megabrain Comics |
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| Denny O'Neil's desk (above) and Canceled Comic Cavalcade (below), photos courtesy Metropolis Comics |
Legendary comic writer Denny O'Neil passed away on 2020, but many of his artifacts have just sold at auction, netting $33,000. His desk is heading to a comic book store! Get the full scoop over at Newsarama.
Jim McLauchlin
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| Elizabeth Berube's drawing table and dyes; Russ Heath's drawing board, now used by his great-grandson! |
Jim McLauchlin
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| Katie Pryde and Books With Pictures (photos courtesy Pryde) |
Katie Pryde had a varied job experience she called "a big old mess" but used her experience, her academic background, and "vision board" concept to start her dream career running a bookstore. Read her story HERE at ICv2.
Jim McLauchlin
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| Alan Gill of Ultimate Comics, courtesy Gill |
Alan Gill owns and operates three comic stores in North Carolina, but to get to where he is today, he's opened stores, closed stores, collaborated with his competitors, and faked his own death (the last of these not recommended). Read all about his pretty-damn-cool journey HERE at ICv2.
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| Top: 150,000 trashed comics in a trailer (photo: Mile High Comics) Bottom: Spine roll (photo: Charlie Novinskie) |
So are most back-issue spikes driven by events within the comic market, or do they come from outside movie/TV and etc. announcements? Why did 150,000 comics get trashed? And how can you prevent spine roll from happening (on the cheap)?
All this and the ever-popular "more" over at Newsarama!
Jim McLauchlin