Chicago comic shop to be given away 0

[tv horror]

8 minutes ago, shadroch said:

When a LI shop burned down a few years ago, I made a joke about Jewish Lightning. Some three years later, I was contacted, on this forum by pm, by investigators from an insurance company. I never responded and they didn't follow up. 

I have an alibi nearly 4000 miles and no passport.

[shadroch]

2 minutes ago, Leo-man said:

What something is "worth" vs. what someone is willing to pay ... two very different things.

Modern back issues (non-key issues) ... little to no value.

Trade paper back trades ... not terribly robust at the shop. And all editions that you would find regularly at the 50% bins at cons.

Fixtures ... sure value in those ... but very specific. Would have to find the right store in close proximity to sell.

Point of sale system, software, phones, display cases, frames, signage,....

I attend auctions like this several times a week.  I watched guys fighting over things most buyers put no value on and learned that the bottom feeders often do as well as the guys fighting it out over the good stuff. 

If there are 500 tpbs, hardcovers, ect and you sell them for $5 each, that's $2500 right there.  Every comic in the shop cost you nothing so sell them all for half price and you have some working capital.

 

[tv horror]

10 minutes ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

I am going to give away my entire comic book collection. I will be giving them away to the person who writes, in 500 words or less, the best reason as to why they should be the recipient of my collection. My collection is worth at least $10,000. I love my collection, but I can no longer devote the time or energy to its maintenance as I have. This is not a raffle, not a drawing or a lottery. This is entirely merit-based and I will decide the winner in my sole and absolute discretion.

There will be a $100 non refundable application fee. Applications are due by May 31, or until I receive 10,000 applications, whichever comes first.

Brilliant, no?

 

Yea another one for me to enter!

[Leo-man]

4 minutes ago, tv horror said:

Actually I just viewed a video on Youtube featuring a comic store in this very area but it looked like a goldmine for early comics. I wonder is there any connect, maybe someone from Chicago could help, all except you Mr Capone. 

 

 

Totally differently run comic shop. And in a wealthier suburb. Probably about a 40 minute drive from Oak Lawn.

One stop has extensive back issues. Last I recall, they have photocopies of the expensive books on the wall and you have to ask to see them. I didn't get the sense that you would find bargins there ... but when you're one of the few deep back-issue stores in or around Chicago ... then there's no need to bargin price.

 

[Leo-man]

6 minutes ago, shadroch said:

Point of sale system, software, phones, display cases, frames, signage,.... 

I attend auctions like this several times a week.  I watched guys fighting over things most buyers put no value on and learned that the bottom feeders often do as well as the guys fighting it out over the good stuff. 

If there are 500 tpbs, hardcovers, ect and you sell them for $5 each, that's $2500 right there.  Every comic in the shop cost you nothing so sell them all for half price and you have some working capital.

 

Wouldn't it be nice to know ahead of time ... what the monthly lease is, how much are utilities, how many subscribers there currently are and the number of books they subscribe to a month?

The winner can't just take everything and immediately sell it. They are required to establish a lease and diamond account. A POS system will not pay your monthly expenses. $5 trades will not pay your monthly expenses. Plus your scope in this town is limited. So, offer all the $5 trades you want ... new people have to come into the store ... not the same weekly customers.

[tv horror]

3 minutes ago, Leo-man said:

Totally differently run comic shop. And in a wealthier suburb. Probably about a 40 minute drive from Oak Lawn.

One stop has extensive back issues. Last I recall, they have photocopies of the expensive books on the wall and you have to ask to see them. I didn't get the sense that you would find bargins there ... but when you're one of the few deep back-issue stores in or around Chicago ... then there's no need to bargin price.

 

Yes this store owner loved his back issues in fact he came across that he hated selling them. 

[kav]

11 minutes ago, shadroch said:

  Every comic in the shop cost you nothing so sell them all for half price and you have some working capital.

Most modern drek ya cant sell for 5 cents each.  

[sagekilz]

We all think we can do something like this but actually doing it are two different things.

[shadroch]

9 minutes ago, kav said:

Most modern drek ya cant sell for 5 cents each.  

Perhaps you can't. A little social media announcing every comic in the shop is fifty cents and see what happens. Guerilla Marketing was created for situations like this.

Hopefully, this works out well for all involved. 

[shadroch]

Just now, sagekilz said:

We all think we can do something like this but actually doing it are two different things.

Then again, some of us have actually done it. 

[kav]

1 minute ago, shadroch said:

Perhaps you can't. A little social media announcing every comic in the shop is fifty cents and see what happens. Guerilla Marketing was created for situations like this.

Hopefully, this works out well for all involved. 

Well you're definitely pretty good with wheelin and dealin I'm gonna defer to you on this one.  

[shadroch]

A dollar and a dream....

[kav]

4 minutes ago, shadroch said:

A dollar and a dream....

You can start with a flea circus and turn it into the most deadly dinosaur park in the world.  So successful people keep coming even tho they always die!

[shadroch]

I must say that when I saw Kav had responded multiple times, I was expecting the thread to go in a very different direction. I was pleasantly surprised and also impressed.

[evilskip]

I'd rather spend that fee on lottery tickets. Who wants to deal with a bunch of comic geeks every day? (Tongue planted firmly in cheek).

[kav]

8 minutes ago, shadroch said:

I must say that when I saw Kav had responded multiple times, I was expecting the thread to go in a very different direction. I was pleasantly surprised and also impressed.

Thx man.  

[westerberg14]

Here’s another story with additional info from BleedingCool site...

Carmelo Chimera is the owner of Chimera’s Comics, a chain of comic book stores in Chicago’s south suburbs. www.chimerascomics.com/win-comic-book-stor “I believe people can do extraordinary things, but life gets them down,” Chimera says. “People make decisions based on fear. And I want to take that fear away.”

And now Chimera is holding a contest to give away his Oak Lawn comic book store. “People have been coming up to me for years saying they’d love to own a comic book store,” said Chimera. “But most people don’t do it. They blame lack of time, lack of money, lack of opportunity. I want to take all that away and give someone their dream job. I think the attraction of a comic book store is that it can be whatever you want it to be. It can focus on toys, games, movies, classic comics, kids comics – the possibilities ignite the imagination.”

Everyone gets one go, for a $25 fee, but Chimera says “This is not a raffle, a drawing, or a gamble in any way” which is probably something very important he clarifies on a legal basis. Applicants must answer the question ‘what makes a great comic book store?’ Chimera says “It’s entirely merit based. I will choose the winner based on their essay responses. And I will read every response.”

The contest runs until February 28, or until Chimera receives 2,000 responses – whichever comes first. Chimera said the decision to give away his store wasn’t easy. “I’ve been spreading myself too thin for years,” said Chimera, who owns two stores, has a full-time job, and has recently started publishing comics.

“Writing and publishing is my passion,” said Chimera. His first graphic novel, a superhero coming-of-age story called Magnificent, was released earlier this year after raising nearly $8,000 on Kickstarter. His next project, a horror graphic novel called Cellar Door, will be released later this spring after raising over $12,000. He’s also a co-founder of the international comic industry event Buy Indie Comics Day and he’s planning his own Chicago comic convention.

“It was time to admit that I was holding back the store,” said Chimera. “I’m doing too many other things. But to the right person, this store isn’t a distraction. This store is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

 

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/02/04/win-comic-shop-chicago-25/

[Domo Arigato]

50 minutes ago, westerberg14 said:

 

Everyone gets one go, for a $25 fee, but Chimera says “This is not a raffle, a drawing, or a gamble in any way”...

 

 

 

[Bronty]

2 hours ago, Leo-man said:

Be wary...

$25 non refundable application fee.

Financials will not be shared until a winner is selected under NDA. At that point the winner can decline to accept the offer.

Winner must negotiate the lease and establish a diamond account.

This shop does not deal in back issues. Bulk of instore merchandise is recent modern back issues and trades.

My guess is that they could probably sell the store for $2k - $3k outright. But do a contest that has an application fee. Get the 500 necessary applications and that's way more money in your pocket then selling the store outright. Get 2,000 applications and it's a huge windfall.

It's noted that some of the application fee is to pay off debts. This is why it would be important to share financials before getting applications .... unless the application fee was refundable to all.

The contest is selling a dream, but does not give people a realistic picture of the business in that area. 

They had a co-owner to their other store and that was recently dissolved. On his podcast that owner insisted that the last two years of retail were the worst in his life and things were not good for a modern day comic store.

Thisnis less Willy Wonka once you start digging into the fine print.

I think that's overly negative.

He's a lawyer, I doubt he wants the bad press from a scheme for ripping people off, and I doubt this is designed to be a big money make for him.   

What's more likely is that he doesn't want to receive 500 spurious and idiotic applications, which is what he will get if its open to anyone.

A small application fee will reduce the submissions to a manageable level.    Now you're reading 20 applications instead of 500.

[Leo-man]

Just now, Bronty said:

I think that's overly negative.

He's a lawyer, I doubt he wants the bad press from a scheme for ripping people off, and I doubt this is designed to be a big money make for him.    

What's more likely is that he doesn't want to receive 500 spurious and idiotic applications, which is what he will get if its open to anyone. 

A small application fee will reduce the submissions to a manageable level.    Now you're reading 20 applications instead of 500. 

He will only hold the contest if 500 applications are received.

If 400 applications are received...not contest...but the application fees are non-refundable. So, in that instance he would keep the money and not hold the contest.

So, there's not a scenario where he is only reading 20 applications.