Any one hear of Passaic Book Center? 2 2

[JollyComics]

On 8/16/2010 at 8:49 PM, Foolkiller said:

 

I know at one time they did do quite a few stamps, especially in the 70s, on later collections they acquired, I think they stopped this.

The stamp fell apart or the employees got arthritis in wrists?

[JollyComics]

30 minutes ago, Ottobord said:

picked this up last summer at a garage sale in north jersey, Its a wwbn 32, notice stamps, My dad was a Pastor of a church in Passaic for 35 years, I always wanted to go to this shop but he never let me, I think they also sold "adult" material, main st Passaic was the place to shop in North Jersey back in the day, before shopping malls,  up the road was the best Chinese restaurant Ding Ho Palace

Thou shalt not lie. Did your dad lie you about that store?  My dad always lied me at all the time because he simply didn't want to buy me other comic books. Lying was his excuse.

[JollyComics]

Yep, the old structures are still existed...

[robocard]

Brian,

Rumor has it that a few local comic dealers in Phoenix bought the majority of the remaining inventory after the store closed. I purchased hundreds of high grade Warren magazines from one dealer and he told me they purchased hundreds of thousands of comics and magazines from Passaic. Unfortunately, I did not move to Phoenix until 2002 and a lot of the books had already been sold.

[D-Optimist]

On 3/10/2018 at 3:15 PM, Eclipse said:

Wish it was still around, i live off the main ave exit, just the other way in nutley. This place sounds cool but before my time

Nutley is cool

[80'sKid]

Actually created a account just to share some memory's. Was feeling nostalgic today and googled Passaic book store, was very sad to see it has closed down. 

I think i was 8 or 9 the first time my dad took me to Passaic book store had to be around 1985 or 86. I know this sounds corny but the place was magical. It was like something out of a Harry Potter book , It was old, dusty and MAGICAL. One side of the large store had comics, the other side sold books. I remember rows and rows of white boxes all over the store filled with every comic you could imagine. Behind the counter hung all the expensive comics , I'll still never forget the day my dad bought me Daredevil #2 from behind the counter. Clothes lines with comics hung above your head and if by some rare chance you couldn't find what you were looking for you would hand the guy a list and he would head down these old stairs into the basement and emerge with everything. This place will always hold a special place in my memory's, comics were such a big part of my life as a kid 

Edited July 27, 2018 by 80'sKid

[80'sKid]

On 3/7/2018 at 1:32 PM, pemart1966 said:

I always envied guys that were able to go in person.  Being in Canada, places such as Passaic were almost mythological.

...and yeah, I can see by the photos why switchblades might have been mandatory...

...and yeah, tell us your stories, after all, that's what the thread is about.

I grew up in the town over from Passaic, mostly Italian & polish  neighborhood.  Passaic in the 80's was a black neighborhood with some Russian at the time. Although it has always had its rough parts Main street was always safe to shop on, I remember on Saturdays  going with my Mom and Grandma ( we are white) shopping at Bargin Man and some awesome deli that use to make amazing sandwiches. I never remember having any fear or my mom being scared despite the fact we were the minority there. I think it was a combination of different times back then were people had more respect for each other and today we live in a race obsessed society. I mean, I was never allowed to ride my bike into Passaic alone to buy comics but at the same time my family never avoided Passaic because of the demograph, Real talk here. Passaic was ( i say was , haven't been there in over 20 years live out of state now) a great city, It had personality and a certain small town feel you just dont get anymore. I had no idea ll those years people were ordering out of state and even out of country from this place, SO Cool

Edited July 27, 2018 by 80'sKid

[Aweandlorder]

On 8/16/2010 at 10:38 PM, FlyingDonut said:

They were awesome inthe 70s - you'd buy a "mystery lot" of 100 books for $20, something like that, and you'd get just cool, cool, cool stuff. They would just send you the first 100 on the pile.

I got many grab bags from them in the 80s. They would have them stacked high in a brown bag with only the top book exposed. The guy had them behind the counter and I would point to the one I wanted. I got an ASM129 from one of those bags once

[Aweandlorder]

They also used to advertise heavily in comics in the early 80s. I think mostly w marvel comics. That's how I heard about their grab bags 

[Spideyham]

Eddie was the owner.   I think he moved PA with his son.  Nice guy

[jimjum12]

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 10:37 AM, 80'sKid said:

Actually created a account just to share some memory's. Was feeling nostalgic today and googled Passaic book store, was very sad to see it has closed down. 

I think i was 8 or 9 the first time my dad took me to Passaic book store had to be around 1985 or 86. I know this sounds corny but the place was magical. It was like something out of a Harry Potter book , It was old, dusty and MAGICAL. One side of the large store had comics, the other side sold books. I remember rows and rows of white boxes all over the store filled with every comic you could imagine. Behind the counter hung all the expensive comics , I'll still never forget the day my dad bought me Daredevil #2 from behind the counter. Clothes lines with comics hung above your head and if by some rare chance you couldn't find what you were looking for you would hand the guy a list and he would head down these old stairs into the basement and emerge with everything. This place will always hold a special place in my memory's, comics were such a big part of my life as a kid 

….if you're ever in the Virginia Beach area, shoot me a PM and I'll show you a store that will make you smile. GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Hepcat]

1. When did the Passaic Book Centre get into selling comic mags in a big way? Was it as early as the mid-sixties or not until the seventies?

2. What was the name of the big used book store comic shop in Manhattan that already had thousands and thousands of back issue comics for sale by 1965-67? It had a nondescript bookstore type name I believe. Or am I confusing it with Passaic or some store in Brooklyn? The important detail was that it was already in operation in the sixties at the same time as the Cherokee Book Shop of Hollywood, California.

Edited August 1, 2018 by Hepcat

[jimjum12]

1 hour ago, Hepcat said:

1. When did the Passaic Book Centre get into selling comic mags in a big way? Was it as early as the mid-sixties or not until the seventies?

2. What was the name of the big used book store comic shop in Manhattan that already had thousands and thousands of back issue comics for sale by 1965-67? It had a nondescript bookstore type name I believe. Or am I confusing it with Passaic or some store in Brooklyn? The important detail was that it was already in operation in the sixties at the same time as the Cherokee Book Shop of Hollywood, California.

Is it possible you're thinking of Grand Book Center out of Brooklyn..... they were in the game early on. GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[Hepcat]

Yes, the Grand Book Center! That's the one. 

[porcupine48]

1 hour ago, Hepcat said:

Yes, the Grand Book Center! That's the one. 

I'm just here to say hello Hepcat.

[Hepcat]

[RCheli]

The only time I went to the shop was in 1998. I had been yard sale-ing and I picked up a box of 1960s porn paperback novels. A lot of them had pretty awesome covers.

I really wasn't interested in collecting them, so I drove up to the PBC (I was living just outside of Flemington at the time) and traded him the box (which I paid $5 for) for like $100 worth of mid-grade Silver Age Fantastic Fours. Twenty years ago, it bought be me a lot (before everyone was chasing first appearances). The store was on its last legs, but they still had plenty of good stuff.

[jimjum12]

20 hours ago, Hepcat said:

Yes, the Grand Book Center! That's the one. 

Oddly enough, I never tried them or Robert Bell. My go to mail order guys were Crestohl and Comic Sales Company. , Comic Sales Company never disappointed.... I was putting together runs of FF, ASM, and Thor back then and pretty much anything you ordered from late '65 and up were unread copies. I got my first FF 48 from them for 75 cents.... it was just grouped in with FF 41- 50 ….. very few books were broken out as keys back then. I think ASM 14 was the first I remember that had that distinction other than the # 1's. GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[jokiing]

Could't believe my eyes when I saw this thread.... My friends and I traveled down from New York to Passaic Book Center in New Jersey a few times in the mid 70's when we were young teens. It was our meca for comics....

I remember picking up Will Eisner's The Spirit #1 (Harvey 1966) during one of our outings. Good memories....

[NoMan]

On 8/16/2010 at 6:37 PM, Dale Roberts said:

Yeah, we used to buy big wholesale groups from them in the mid 90s too. Now I think they do mostly porn mag stuff.

 

On 8/16/2010 at 6:43 PM, BrianR said:

So was it common practice for them to stamp comic books? I know different times etc. it seems odd a large mail order company would stamp back issues.

 

And thanks guys for the additional info. I enjoy store stamped books and seeing if I can find out about the store the comic was sold at once.

I got some store stamped books from Waco, TX. Old Ghost Rider westerns from the late 60s. I’ll dig em out tomorrow if you’re interested and give you the skinny. Let me know.