Bond Street Books 0

[Silver]

Anyone here remember Bond Street Books in Hollywood? I went there a bunch of time in the late 70’s, was my favorite comic shop. I cant remember the owners name but I used to love to talk comics with him as a kid. I’m sure it’s been gone for decades now, just wonder if anyone else remembers it?

Edited June 9, 2018 by Silver

[Yellow Kid]

The owner was Steve Edrington.  Along with Leonard Brown and Malcolm Willits at Collectors Bookstore, and Burt Blum in his attic in his father's store, Cherokee Books, Steve was one of the Founding Fathers of the old comic book business in Southern California.  Steve knew his comic books and carved out a nice niche for his business.  I got my annual Christmas card from him and his wife so he was still with us last December.

[Robot Man]

Oh yeah, I remember Bond Street and Steve well. Funky little store full of old comics and mags. Steve was wonderful to me. He sold me a ton of DC runs like JLA 1-10, Lantern 1-10, Jimmy Olsen 1-10, Lois Lane 1-10 and most of the SA runs. Bought one of my first GA keys from him All Flash #1 for like $25. Unlike the other stores in the area, he was very patient with a young kid like me with very little money. Got one of my favorite GA books from him. More Fun #52. Had to pay to pay it off every month for about a year. Was real bummed when he closed.

You guys really missed out. Three killer stores within a couple block radius selling just about any comic you could want. Maybe the earliest comic book stores in the country. If I only knew then what I know now (and had the money)...

I know TriColorBrian used to frequent these stores as did the Carters, Pat Calhoon and most of the rest of the early LA/SD collectors. Was a magical time.

Anybody else ever go to the American Comic Book Company up in the valley? Another killer store just packed with GA and SA comics. Was owned by David T Alexander and Terry Stroud. I remember going into the back room and seeing big piles of Timelys and DC GA just sitting on the floor and tables. They were buying them so fast from people walking off the street that they didn't even have time to process them. 

LA was a real Mecca for early comic book stores in the early '70s.

[jmg3637]

I went to passport comics in my early adult collecting days probably around 1986.  The owner Earle Bowman was a hoot .  Also went to ninth nebula which was a hole in the wall shop behind a dental supply office.  That one was owned by Rob Gustaveson.  I remember going to the house of American Comic book and pulling many books from their basement stash prior to them moving 

 

[sacentaur]

Unlike today, the Los Angeles area used to be a mecca for vintage comic books.

I saw Steve Edrington some years ago, he had a book shop in Burbank (as did my friend, Paul Hunt). Good guy with a cutting edge sense of humor.

Bought my first comics from the American Comic Book Company, they sold me Star Wars reprints as originals.

Collectors Bookstore was my go-to store. Howard Lowry always took good care of me at the shop, he was major Disney aficionado I do recall.

Funny story about Collectors, first time I went in I asked for Batman Comics and Detective Comics. The guy helping me handed me a full box, I excitedly dived in, and they all were... pre-Batman Detectives! He got a good laugh out of that one, then handed me the Batman/Detective boxes.

I later bought a Detective 30 at Collectors that was a raw VF/NM with white pages - because I couldn't afford a Batman cover early Detective - but then I sold it a few years afterwards (doh!). It did start my fascination and appreciation for Fred Guardineer.

Lots of good memories... 

[sacentaur]

22 minutes ago, jmg3637 said:

I went to passport comics in my early adult collecting days probably around 1986.  The owner Earle Bowman was a hoot . 

What a character, I would visit his shop often to see what comics he had put up on the wall and also to get his latest newsletter. Earle's wife Dee was nice too, they had some epic conversations about how to store books.

Earle died some years ago (he was a smoker) - shame he was reduced to selling .25 cent books at the back of the L.A. Comic Book Convention (last time I saw him).

[Robot Man]

I never got to Passport because I didn’t own a car then. Long walk from Pasadena. 

Annother good local spot was the Book Nook in “old town” Pasadena. Back in those days it was a seedy part of town. Lots of pawn stores, liquor stores ect. There was a great used record store, a music store where I bought my 1962 Telecaster guitar and of course the Free Press Bookstore. Good area to score, how would you say “intoxicants” Classic old used book store. Got a lot of back issue MADs there for a dime apiece. The old geezer than ran the place was a jerk that didn’t like kids much. 

I would ask for comics and he would point to a few boxes of more recent comics that I didn’t want. One day, while pawing three some old Life mags, I pulled out a Superman #9, a Capt America and a couple other WWII era Disney’s. They were all neatly priced $3. each on the back in pencil. I went to the crappy box and pulled out a few of the cheap new comics and mixed them together. Of course the old man spotted them right away and asked me where I got them so I told him. He wasn’t going to sell them to me until I showed him the cash. So he took my money and off I went.

One day, I met a another collector named Gary Coddington in the store. He was a little older than me but we became good friends. He was a huge Superman collector and invited me over to his house. There, he let me read his Action #1. His brother collected Batman so I got to read a Detective #27 that day too. Cool guy who died too soon in his early 30’s of liver failure. Anybody else remember him?

There were a lot of old used book stores in LA in those days. Took the bus down town on a regular basis to find books. Lots of cheap GA. 

[sacentaur]

3 hours ago, Robot Man said:

One day, I met a another collector named Gary Coddington in the store. He was a little older than me but we became good friends. He was a huge Superman collector and invited me over to his house. There, he let me read his Action #1. His brother collected Batman so I got to read a Detective #27 that day too. Cool guy who died too soon in his early 30’s of liver failure. Anybody else remember him?

I think I met Gary Coddington once - was he the fellow that had a deformity?  

[Mmehdy]

44 minutes ago, sacentaur said:

I think I met Gary Coddington once - was he the fellow that had a deformity?  

Yes, true superman collector....they die too young....great person

[archivist]

according to the book "Superman at Fifty" - and I quote from here on

 

"Coddington also owns some of the original art from Action Comics #1" (page 180)

 

Does anybody know if this is/was true ?

[sfcityduck]

57 minutes ago, archivist said:

according to the book "Superman at Fifty" - and I quote from here on

 

"Coddington also owns some of the original art from Action Comics #1" (page 180)

 

Does anybody know if this is/was true ?

Superman art or other stories?

[Robot Man]

2 hours ago, archivist said:

according to the book "Superman at Fifty" - and I quote from here on

 

"Coddington also owns some of the original art from Action Comics #1" (page 180)

 

Does anybody know if this is/was true ?

I don't think so. I saw his collection several times and he didn't have a whole lot of production art. I know he would have pointed it out if he did. 

[Paul Wilcox]

I was re-watching The Hidden, remembering many of those Hollywood and Melrose locations, and I thought of Bond Street Books.  I couldn't remember the name at first, so I traveled east on Hollywood Blvd in Google street view until I came to...yes!  Wilcox!  And then I searched for any mention of Bond Street Books.

I bought lots of MADs and 5-10 year-old Marvel and DC comics there, as many of you did, as well as lots of paperbacks, including Doc Savage (having the James Bama covers) and Agatha Christie (I liked mysteries).  This was 1968-1969, I was in my earliest teens, as yet unaware of collecting comics, but learning then that older ones were for some reason quite expensive.  I loved Cherokee Books, too.  They had lots of the early MAD Magazines - over time I read most of them there.  I was/must have looked a decent kid, wearing a yarmulke, so, I don't know, they just let me read.  Had I been ten or fifteen years older, with a little money, I would have bought all the early '60's stuff I then only read.  

Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, Neal Adams, Jim Steranko and Jack Kirby were among my favorite artists. 

[Robot Man]

Back in those days. It was very rare to run into anyone over 25 in those stores. Mostly kids and teenagers. ALL boys. Hard to believe there was much market for $100+ comics. 

I bought the last MAD I needed for my collection from Steve at Bond Street. #27. Probably paid a buck for it. A great memory! 

[Silver]

I still have my Atlas Showgirls #1 I bought from Bond Street for $1.

 

[DOC0715]

I used to drive from Oxnard with a friend go to the big 3 (Collector's Cherokee's and Bond Street) in the early 70's and mostly bought old fanzines and 2nd banana hero titles. Those were fun times also went to the First Sunday Women's Club Comic Cons back then as well. Also early Creation Con at the Roosevelt. Like others I never brought a camera with me back then.

[Robot Man]

I remember those Hollywood Women’s Club shows well. Big room full of comics. Usually stacked unbagged on tables. Probably 60% of my PCH collection was found in boxes under the tables for a buck or two. Even in decent condition. Had to pay up to $5-7. For ECs on the top of the table.