Mile High Comics Closes Its Glendale Store After 28 Years 1 1

[Ares]

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/01/03/mile-high-comics-closes-its-glendale-store-after-28-years/

Mile High Comics is one of the biggest comic stores in the USA, with a massive online warehouse that dwarfs everyone else. But as of 2019, it will have one fewer stores – one with quite a history. At the end of December, between Christmas and New Year, their Glendale, Colorado store was cleared out, stock redistributed to their other stores. Owner Chuck Rozanski explained on his site,

When we first opened our store we had inexpensive rent, abundant parking, a really nice landlord, and the huge Celebrity Sports Centerright across the parking lot. All of that changed, beginning with the demolition of that wonderful amusement complex filled with swimming pools, waterslides, and bowling alleys (originally built by a partnership of Walt Disney, Jack Benny, Bing Crosby, and a dozen other Hollywood investors), in 1994. Parking is now nonexistent, we have a new landlord, and our rent has gone up 350%! Sadly, it is time to go.

In a flier he wrote

It is with a heavy heart that I must pass on to you the news that we are closing our Glendale location permanently on December 31st. Our decision was based upon many factors, including rising operating costs, intolerable parking shortages, and the lack of air-conditioning” as well as the departure of store manager Aaron Tucker, who Chuck calls  “the heart and soul of this wonderful operation for nearly twenty years. We simply cannot conceive on continuing to operate this location without his boundless energy and enthusiasm.

 

As Chuck moved stock in his truck to the Jason Street Mile High Comics Megastore, he posted,

We had a truly awesome dedicated core of devoted comics fans who’s patronage kept that wonderful little store alive for 28 years, but the complete lack of parking in that shopping center made a mockery of the $5,000+ in rent that we were paying each month, especially for a smallish second floor location.

And he took the opportunity to remind customers of any store,

On a closely related topic, I do want to urge everyone who reads my newsletter to please resolve to support their local comics retailer during 2019. The economics of selling new issues has become total madness as the cover prices of periodical comics now reach up into the $5/copy range. With comics retailers buying non-returnable (an arrangement that I helped to pioneer in the late-1970’s), all the risk is upon them as regards unsold product. That worked well when cover prices were under $1, but today’s high cover prices are causing crippling losses to comics retailers whenever a title sells fewer copies than expected.

To illustrate what I mean, take note of the number of new comics that your local retailer has sitting on his shelves that are over 2 weeks old. Based upon the traditional measure in the magazine business that 90%of the sales on any given issue occur during the first 15 days after release, those unsold copies are essentially a lost cause. A few may yet sell, and there is always some long term residual demand as back issues, but for the most part those unsold issues have just declined in value by at least 90%.

Sadly, even the best and brightest retailers misjudge on occasion, and the consequences of unsold new comics stock can now be devastating. With a wholesale cost of upwards of $2 each, any significant number of unsold new comics can easily wipe out an entire week’s earnings for a comics specialty store in a heartbeat. Simply put, the risks of selling new comics in a comics specialty store now far outweigh the rewards.

[Robot Man]

God bless comic store owners. I really don't know how they do it any more...

[Krydel4]

1 minute ago, Robot Man said:

God bless comic store owners. I really don't know how they do it any more...

Diversification. Most of the stores in my area bill themselves as a "Collectables" store. The ones that are surviving, comics are maybe 30% of their revenue.

[comicparadox]

Somebody Robbed The Glendale Train

New Riders of the Purple Sage

[spidermanbeyond]

So hard to be a comic store owner these days.  No wonder a lot of stores order so few copies of new books these days.

[oakman29]

Maybe if Chuck sold books at a reasonable price he would be doing better. 

[aszumilo]

Gonna take a guess and say the discount word of the month is "Glendale".

[followtheleader]

Glendale was probably my least favorite of his over the years. 

I don't doubt that much of his story is true.  Over the years, it's been a slow consolidation to the massive warehouse on Jason. 

I do miss the old store in Thornton though.

Patrick

[theCapraAegagrus]

Of the 2 "comic shops" I frequent, 1 sells probably 50% comics/TPBs, and the other about 20%.

The former also sells toys and the latter sells mostly books.

[ygogolak]

10 hours ago, oakman29 said:

Maybe if Chuck sold books at a reasonable price he would be doing better. 

You're completely wrong, well according to him at least.

On a closely related topic, I do want to urge everyone who reads my newsletter to please resolve to support their local comics retailer during 2019. The economics of selling new issues has become total madness as the cover prices of periodical comics now reach up into the $5/copy range. With comics retailers buying non-returnable (an arrangement that I helped to pioneer in the late-1970's), all the risk is upon them as regards unsold product. That worked well when cover prices were under $1, but today's high cover prices are causing crippling losses to comics retailers whenever a title sells fewer copies than expected.

[theCapraAegagrus]

3 minutes ago, ygogolak said:

You're completely wrong, well according to him at least.

On a closely related topic, I do want to urge everyone who reads my newsletter to please resolve to support their local comics retailer during 2019. The economics of selling new issues has become total madness as the cover prices of periodical comics now reach up into the $5/copy range. With comics retailers buying non-returnable (an arrangement that I helped to pioneer in the late-1970's), all the risk is upon them as regards unsold product. That worked well when cover prices were under $1, but today's high cover prices are causing crippling losses to comics retailers whenever a title sells fewer copies than expected.

Is this the same guy trying to take Iron Man co-creator credit..?

[mattn792]

3 hours ago, TwoPiece said:

Is this the same guy trying to take Iron Man co-creator credit..?

That was cold 

Chuck does have a point though, seems like kids these days need to knock over a liquor store just to be able to afford the new releases from month to month.  $3, $4, $5 a book?  Youch. 

And as someone who completely quit the new material at the height of Axel Alonso's reign of terror, I'd also wonder if the material has subsequently gotten any better to even remotely justify such a price point.

[500Club]

5 hours ago, ygogolak said:

15 hours ago, oakman29 said:

Maybe if Chuck sold books at a reasonable price he would be doing better. 

You're completely wrong, well according to him at least.

On a closely related topic, I do want to urge everyone who reads my newsletter to please resolve to support their local comics retailer during 2019. The economics of selling new issues has become total madness as the cover prices of periodical comics now reach up into the $5/copy range. With comics retailers buying non-returnable (an arrangement that I helped to pioneer in the late-1970's), all the risk is upon them as regards unsold product. That worked well when cover prices were under $1, but today's high cover prices are causing crippling losses to comics retailers whenever a title sells fewer copies than expected.

I think oakland is referring to Chuck's back issue pricing.

I'm not a big fan of Chuck's, but he's dead on with his laments about the difficulty of ordering and managing new issue sales.