Take a trip with EP to some "local" Brick and Mortar Stores 2 2

[electricprune]

I am on the road for work frequently. I cover a fairly large area that includes 3 states. For whatever reason, I haven't gone out of my way to look for local shops when I'm on the road. With shows coming to an almost complete halt, I'm going to make sure I look for some locals to check out. I promise, I will be getting some drektacular books during these travels.It might be worth it to check out the thread just to see what I get. I promise, some of it will be amusing, possibly insulting.

I'll give a little info on the store, maybe some feedback, hopefully some pictures, and who knows what else. So come along and enjoy the ride. Who knows when you might be in the neighborhood of any particular store, and it might seem like a place you'd want to check out!

My goal is to make a purchase in each store. I know many of them are struggling now, and hopefully every purchase will help them. Hopefully most are comics, but I will also look at supplies if I don't find any books that I find interesting.

Also, if you know of any hidden gems or places that could use every sale they can get, let me know. I may show up anywhere, but I am mostly in Michigan, Indiana, and northern Ohio.

[electricprune]

St. Johns Book Exchange- St. Johns, Michigan. St. Johns is a small town close to being in the middle of the lower peninsula. It's small town America, but has a little modern aspect to it on the outskirts... very little. I have had to be here frequently over the past several months due to a new dairy processing facility project I'm involved with.

I had never visited this store. It really is more of a used book store. It looks like it is owned and run by a husband and wife, and maybe their daughter that rang me up. When I walked in, Amazing Grace was playing. The store was carpeted and the books were kept orderly. I made my way back to the middle of the stores and saw 10-12 long boxes, and I dove in. The first few flips made me think I was looking through the worst part of my collection as a kid. American comics, Epic, and few more of the publishers that gave a run at it in the early 80s.

The lady came around the corner and said hello. Then someone started playing the piano to Amazing Grace. Interesting. I flipped quickly through the books and worked from box to box. Most of the books were in yellowing bags, probably from the early 80s. I went around the corner to another 10-12 long boxes and 5-6 shorts. I had pulled a few nice looking books, but I was running out of time. The lady said some nicer books were in some boxes behind the counter. They had some decent bronze and early copper titles, nut mostly mid grade. I was pushing my time to leave, but did find a few books.They did have a few decent X-Men books in mid-grade. Very few "keys", not high grade though

This one would be hit or miss. The lady said they had purchased some stock from comics stores that closed, so I don't know how often they get new stock. My guess is not often. They have a very small amount of Silver, some bronze, and mostly 80s stuff. They did have some toys and sports cards as well. I don't know anything about the toys, and didn't have time to look at the sports cards.

When I left the store, i did have a little melancholy moment when I left the store. The front windows that were so popular in the early to even later 1900s were completely empty. I can see why they don't want to put books in there, but it seemed like there should be something in there. I guess that's how the small town life is going now.

Edited August 23, 2020 by electricprune

[Robot Man]

Thanks. Sounds like a fun ride. Good luck! 

[electricprune]

Rad Raptor Comics- Adrian, MI- Somehow, I had never been to Adrian before. It's another small town not too far from the Ohio border. It has a small Division III school there, Adrian College.

I pulled up a few minutes before it opened. A couple minutes later, some younger kids got out and ran in, so it was open. It's in a unit of another building but is on the Main Street side. It's a clean shop with nice colors. L shaped and not vey big. They have a wall of comics with some random Bronze to Modern, but nothing too special. I walk to the back and there are 20+ long boxes. I see some $2 boxes, so I start there. Mostly moderns, but I did find some books. I did mention drektacular earlier!

I looked through the other boxes that were individually priced, and found a couple more. These were also all moderns, so I didn't have much to pick from. There were just a couple Silver books in the showcase, but nothing I wanted to get. It looked like there were some decent Copper books that were being processed too. They also had a smaller bag and board section.

Bought a few books chatted with the owner, who was very nice and headed out.

Of all things, Adrian has a nice cigar store. It was right around the corner, but it didn't open until later in the day. I headed out to my next appointment.

Edited August 24, 2020 by electricprune

[electricprune]

Stadium Cards and Comics- Ypsilanti, MI (Yes, that's a real city name) Home of Eastern Michigan University.

This is a store that I visit from time to time. The owner and staff are very friendly. You will also find sports cards, non sports cards, and gaming here. They do have tables set up for gaming, and I think they have scheduled games. I do not know of what though. However, if you want some sweet unopened 1989 Fleer Wax, this is your place. The exterior makes it look like the store might be tiny, but it's really not.

Comics- They probably have close to 40 longs to look through. They are kept well organized, although Marvel, DC, and other publishers are usually kept separate. You will find Silver to Modern here. You won't find (m)any keys in the longs though. You can sometimes find some nice Bronze though. At one time, they had a long box of some VERY nice Silver and Bronze Western books. They have some mags, and usually a decent supply of bags and boards.

If you go here, make sure to check the wall in the back right corner. Behind the back register, you may find some keys on the wall. They do sub some books to CGC. You might find some nice books there. I know they had some early Hulk issues back there in the past (1-6, not post TTA). This place is definitely worth a look.

I picked up just a few books, some backer boards, and some penny sleeves and top loaders.

I forgot to take an interior picture, so I stole one from the web. Back issues are not 40% off. The boxes are full, and there are more of them now.

 

[Off Panel]

I'm really enjoying your tour of shops. I used to do consulting work for the Michigan state government in Lansing back around 2003 and would always keep an eye out for cool shops. Sadly, I haven't had a reason to get up there much recently, but the next time I do, I'll be armed with a list of places to visit.

[Gaard]

2 hours ago, Off Panel said:

I'm really enjoying your tour of shops. I used to do consulting work for the Michigan state government in Lansing back around 2003 and would always keep an eye out for cool shops. Sadly, I haven't had a reason to get up there much recently, but the next time I do, I'll be armed with a list of places to visit.

I used to take a drive to Lansing now and then to thumb thru the back issues at Curious Books. This was back in the 80s...I couldn't tell you if it even still exists.

[electricprune]

16 minutes ago, Gaard said:

I used to take a drive to Lansing now and then to thumb thru the back issues at Curious Books. This was back in the 80s...I couldn't tell you if it even still exists.

I believe they do. I think I have been there once, but didn't buy anything. I'll hit them again eventually. I don't think Lansing has a really good location for back issues. Somewhat surprising with MSU being so close.

[piper]

I’m enjoying the thread so far. Do your travels take you closer to Detroit? I’m curious what you find nearer the big city.

[electricprune]

10 minutes ago, piper said:

I’m enjoying the thread so far. Do your travels take you closer to Detroit? I’m curious what you find nearer the big city.

Oh, yes. I’ll do as many of those as I can. I probably have only been to half of the Metro Detroit shops. So there should be several.

[Shadow]

9 hours ago, electricprune said:

Stadium Cards and Comics- Ypsilanti, MI (Yes, that's a real city name) Home of Eastern Michigan University.

This is a store that I visit from time to time. The owner and staff are very friendly. You will also find sports cards, non sports cards, and gaming here. They do have tables set up for gaming, and I think they have scheduled games. I do not know of what though. However, if you want some sweet unopened 1989 Fleer Wax, this is your place. The exterior makes it look like the store might be tiny, but it's really not.

Comics- They probably have close to 40 longs to look through. They are kept well organized, although Marvel, DC, and other publishers are usually kept separate. You will find Silver to Modern here. You won't find (m)any keys in the longs though. You can sometimes find some nice Bronze though. At one time, they had a long box of some VERY nice Silver and Bronze Western books. They have some mags, and usually a decent supply of bags and boards.

If you go here, make sure to check the wall in the back right corner. Behind the back register, you may find some keys on the wall. They do sub some books to CGC. You might find some nice books there. I know they had some early Hulk issues back there in the past (1-6, not post TTA). This place is definitely worth a look.

I picked up just a few books, some backer boards, and some penny sleeves and top loaders.

I forgot to take an interior picture, so I stole one from the web. Back issues are not 40% off. The boxes are full, and there are more of them now.

 

Great owner. This was my go to for about 10 years when I bought new books. Stopped about 6 years ago and don’t work nearby anymore 

[piper]

1 hour ago, electricprune said:

Oh, yes. I’ll do as many of those as I can. I probably have only been to half of the Metro Detroit shops. So there should be several.

Thanks. I was a regular frequenter of Classic Movies and Comics back in the day before I moved out West.

[electricprune]

1 minute ago, piper said:

Thanks. I was a regular frequenter of Classic Movies and Comics back in the day before I moved out West.

Doubt there were many better in the US for a comic collecting kid in the 70s and 80s.

[kaculler]

I've been to Stadium and purchased comics there a few times.  It's a nice shop.  The best shop in the Detroit area these days is probably Big Ben's in Allen Park.  Time Traveler's in Berkley has a lot of stuff and might be worth a look.  If you get up to Flint, you might want to check out The Amazing Book-Store.

Classic Movie and Comic Center was my first comic shop back in 1977 when it was still in Farmington.  It was a great shop.  I worked there from 1986-2005 and find it hard to believe that it has been gone for 15 years.

Edited August 24, 2020 by kaculler

[electricprune]

59 minutes ago, kaculler said:

I've been to Stadium and purchased comics there a few times.  It's a nice shop.  The best shop in the Detroit area these days is probably Big Ben's in Allen Park.  Time Traveler's in Berkley has a lot of stuff and might be worth a look.  If you get up to Flint, you might want to check out The Amazing Book-Store.

Classic Movie and Comic Center was my first comic shop back in 1977 when it was still in Farmington.  It was a great shop.  I worked there from 1986-2005 and find it hard to believe that it has been gone for 15 years.

Wow, you worked there full time for that long? We would have likely crossed paths at some point then. What happened towards the end? I remember the large Livonia store closed, but I believe another smaller shop opened in the same strip mall under the same name. I think I only went there once, and it was focused more on new books and didn't have much as far as back issues went. I honestly didn't think the large location lasted much passed '93 or '94.

[kaculler]

7 hours ago, electricprune said:

Wow, you worked there full time for that long? We would have likely crossed paths at some point then. What happened towards the end? I remember the large Livonia store closed, but I believe another smaller shop opened in the same strip mall under the same name. I think I only went there once, and it was focused more on new books and didn't have much as far as back issues went. I honestly didn't think the large location lasted much passed '93 or '94.

The large location opened in Livonia in 1981.  In the mid-90s, we had open spaces on either side of us and the landlord offered the owner a deal on rent if he moved to one of the other locations so that he could combine two spaces into a bike shop (Bike Nashbar I think).  The rent had been rising a lot so in 1996, the owner took the deal and we moved next door.  The new shop was much narrower and a lot of stuff got left behind.  Most of what was lost was actually from the back room (overstock and the like).  We kept our wall of back issues (there were tons of them on custom built wooden shelves).  We did lose display space for the discount bins on the tables, though, and for stuff like tshirts and movie posters which used to hang from the ceiling.  We kept some poster racks, but it was very much diminished.  Gone also were the remnants of the video rental business we once had, though most of that was probably gone long before 1996.  I can't remember for sure at this point.

The store continued along like that for almost a decade before a variety of issues (rising rent, an aborted move, the owner's health) prompted the sale of the store.  My understanding is that it was almost sold to customers who would have kept the store open, but it fell through and was eventually sold to Todd Lange, who wanted it mainly for  the backstock to sell at shows.  The store closed a week after he purchased it.

I had started working at the store in 1986 when I was in high school.  I worked about 30-40 hours per week through college and then a diminished schedule after becoming a teacher.  Eventually it was just Saturdays year round and Wednesdays during the summer and breaks.  I ran the card section for much of that time, though my real interest was always the comic books.  It was a fun place to work and we had lots of great customers, but it all ended in the spring of 2005.  It was sad, but all things end I guess. 

[electricprune]

Comic Showcase- Wixom, MI

Although it is growing, Wixom still doesn’t have its own High School. Ford used to have the Wixom Plant there, but it was torn down.

I’ve never been to this store before today. It’s on the end of a small strip mall. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. On the inside, it’s one of the nicest looking comic shops I’ve ever been in. Check out the nice wood floors!

They have many long boxes to look through. They are organized by price, and in no order after that. You can see the pricing on the front of the boxes. They were all 50% off today!

They have a nice selection of books. Most are ‘90- present but there are Bronze and Copper in the boxes. The owner also has many wall books including some keys.

He also carries sports cards, paper money, coins and autographed items. I would definitely check this store out if you’re in the area. Owner seemed like he’d shell and deal if you wanted to. Seemed like a very nice guy. He had supplies and some new books, but this didn’t look like a store you would go to for new monthly books. I am not the best judge of that though. I did notice several Batman, Superman, Punisher and X-Men books in the long boxes. He had 4 other Kong’s with books as marked and not 50% off. Then another box with Mad and sports mags, all bagged and boarded.

My haul was all half off except the ASM book.

[F For Fake]

58 minutes ago, electricprune said:

Comic Showcase- Wixom, MI

Although it is growing, Wixom still doesn’t have its own High School. Ford used to have the Wixom Plant there, but it was torn down.

I’ve never been to this store before today. It’s on the end of a small strip mall. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. On the inside, it’s one of the nicest looking comic shops I’ve ever been in. Check out the nice wood floors!

They have many long boxes to look through. They are organized by price, and in no order after that. You can see the pricing on the front of the boxes. They were all 50% off today!

They have a nice selection of books. Most are ‘90- present but there are Bronze and Copper in the boxes. The owner also has many wall books including some keys.

He also carries sports cards, paper money, coins and autographed items. I would definitely check this store out if you’re in the area. Owner seemed like he’d shell and deal if you wanted to. Seemed like a very nice guy. He had supplies and some new books, but this didn’t look like a store you would go to for new monthly books. I am not the best judge of that though. I did notice several Batman, Superman, Punisher and X-Men books in the long boxes. He had 4 other Kong’s with books as marked and not 50% off. Then another box with Mad and sports mags, all bagged and boarded.

My haul was all half off except the ASM book.

Wow, that is a classy looking shop! It's always nice when a store owner takes pride in their place.

[WolverineX]

1 hour ago, electricprune said:

Comic Showcase- Wixom, MI

Although it is growing, Wixom still doesn’t have its own High School. Ford used to have the Wixom Plant there, but it was torn down.

I’ve never been to this store before today. It’s on the end of a small strip mall. From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. On the inside, it’s one of the nicest looking comic shops I’ve ever been in. Check out the nice wood floors!

They have many long boxes to look through. They are organized by price, and in no order after that. You can see the pricing on the front of the boxes. They were all 50% off today!

They have a nice selection of books. Most are ‘90- present but there are Bronze and Copper in the boxes. The owner also has many wall books including some keys.

He also carries sports cards, paper money, coins and autographed items. I would definitely check this store out if you’re in the area. Owner seemed like he’d shell and deal if you wanted to. Seemed like a very nice guy. He had supplies and some new books, but this didn’t look like a store you would go to for new monthly books. I am not the best judge of that though. I did notice several Batman, Superman, Punisher and X-Men books in the long boxes. He had 4 other Kong’s with books as marked and not 50% off. Then another box with Mad and sports mags, all bagged and boarded.

My haul was all half off except the ASM book.

Wow, that is a beautiful shop.  Recalled Action comics?

[Artboy99]

wonderful thread and thank you for posting.