Slyde Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 Anyone ever shop at the California Comic Book Company in the CA bay area? I started collecting comics as a kid in 1984 (right at the start of Secret Wars), and I had a comic saver at the Walnut Creek location for several years, until my interest started to wane and I stopped buying new issues in 1993 or so (never got rid of anything). At one time I believe they had at least two other locations (Concord, Dublin). I haven't lived in the bay area for 25+ years now, and the whole CCBC chain apparently closed quite a while ago, but I was getting nostalgic. Loved picking up all the latest issues and looking at the older books that had the "pinned to the wall" status. If you had a comic saver with them, you got 30% off back issues, and once I got a job, I went on a pretty good run buying back issues. Every so often I would make the trip into Berkeley to hit Comics and Comix and Comic Relief, and see what they had. I assume CCBC just went under during tough times, but curious if anyone has any more info? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sckao Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 (edited) I don’t remember shopping at that store since it’s a BART (train) ride into the suburbs from Berkeley, but I used to frequent Comics and Comix and Comic Relief in the 80’s/90’s as well actually. Welcome to the CGC Messageboard. (Just passing through myself...) Edited July 23, 2020 by sckao greggy and BlowUpTheMoon 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slyde Posted July 23, 2020 Author Share Posted July 23, 2020 I guess those stores are gone now as well. I think Comic Relief made it to 2011? I read that the whole chain of Comics and Comix stores went out of business several years earlier. Had to take BART as well (going the other direction). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sckao Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 The Berkeley store bought my Eastman and Laird Portsmouth New Hampshire Con Personally Autographed and self-witnessed TMNT #1 for $75. Weird what you remember all these years later... aardvark88 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HouseofComics.Com Posted July 23, 2020 Share Posted July 23, 2020 Yes, I remember selling my first print still in mailing envelope from Eastman and Laird for $37.50... Those are the ones you remember, for sure. Was talking with someone today who had deep roots in the Bay Area comic store community, stretching back to the late 70s, and I told him that for the first time since 1972 or so there is no longer a comic book store within four blocks of the Cal campus. No longer a store downtown or on Telegraph. That's quite a run. But if you're a new Cal student this fall, you may never run across one of the two current Berkeley comic book stores during your undergrad years. Larryw7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jstan70 Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Ah, the memories. Thanks for that. Yes, I used to shop at California Comic Book Company in Concord, CA back in the early '90's, the location on Clayton Road near Treat Blvd, back while I was still buying new books each week. That was back in the day when the Diablo Valley had a number of good comic book shops. In addition to CCBC, I would also frequent Flying Colors (also in Concord) and Land Of Nevawuz in Pleasant Hill (just north of the DVC campus). But my primary shop was PJ's Comics in Concord (near Willow Pass Rd and Galindo), because he sold all his new books already bagged and boarded, so I got to save a little on storage supplies. Sadly, to the best of my knowledge (I also haven't lived in the area for 25+ years), Flying Colors is the only one still in operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slyde Posted March 9, 2021 Author Share Posted March 9, 2021 16 hours ago, Jstan70 said: Ah, the memories. Thanks for that. Yes, I used to shop at California Comic Book Company in Concord, CA back in the early '90's, the location on Clayton Road near Treat Blvd, back while I was still buying new books each week. That was back in the day when the Diablo Valley had a number of good comic book shops. In addition to CCBC, I would also frequent Flying Colors (also in Concord) and Land Of Nevawuz in Pleasant Hill (just north of the DVC campus). But my primary shop was PJ's Comics in Concord (near Willow Pass Rd and Galindo), because he sold all his new books already bagged and boarded, so I got to save a little on storage supplies. Sadly, to the best of my knowledge (I also haven't lived in the area for 25+ years), Flying Colors is the only one still in operation. There was a comic shop in Pleasant Hill (off Contra Costa Blvd), in the same strip mall as a video game arcade (it was called Regency I think...this was late eighties, maybe into early 90's). Was that Land of Nevawuz? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jstan70 Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 Yep, that was the one. They were originally in the shopping center across Golf Club Road, directly north from the Diablo Valley College campus' tennis courts, but then they moved to a small strip center further north up Contra Costa Blvd. Unfortunately, I couldn't tell you exactly where, because, looking at Google Maps, that part of town looks to have changed so drastically since then. Slyde 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
