From the Road: A Tour of Big Apple Comic Book Shops
From the June 2004 Diamond Dialogue:
Recently, Diamond Domestic Customer Service Manager Nance Romer and Customer Service Representative Cathy Fleming took a trip to New York, NY to visit several comic book stores in the country's largest city. Through the course of the outing, Nance noted things about each store that she thought might be useful to other retailers. Here's what she saw:
Collector's Universe II
31 West 46th Street
This store, located in the heart of Manhattan in an area known as Little Brazil, has been in its current location for three years. One of the first things I noticed upon walking into Collector's Universe was the big collection of sports cards for sale. I would say half of the space behind the counter was dedicated to sports cards. There were also many and various collectible kitsch items when you first walk in, kept in display cases that lined the wall on both sides. This acted as a hallway of sorts; an excellent eye catcher. If a person wasn't into comics, the cases might draw their attention and get them in the store.
Gotham City Comics
800 Lexington Avenue
This was a great store to see, filled with life and merchandise. Store Owner Bernie Saavedra and Manager Jon Olson are extremely personable; they knew every customer that walked through their doorway. Jon, who has been with the store for eight of the store's 10 years in this location, walked around with customers and pointed out new items that had arrived in which they might be interested. Bernie was quick to pull subscribers' boxes for the week and suggest other books, too. Since the store is located on the second floor, the team has hung multiple posters in the windows in order to get attention from the street below.
St. Mark's Comics
11 St. Mark's Place
Located in its current East Village location for 25 years, St. Mark's was exactly what I expected: an extremely friendly atmosphere, packed to the gills with merchandise. Store employee Mary was "stationed" in the front of the store, greeting and checking bags, while colleague Pat was in the back assisting customers. The amount of light from windows and overhead lighting made the store that much better.
Comic Art Gallery
214 Sullivan Street
Owner Joe Lihach's store is located near New York University in Greenwich Village, so he really attracts an eclectic crowd. With a huge front window and a big store, he has room to do a big business in models and everything that goes with them: paint, glue, etc. He also takes statues and customizes them for his customers.
Jim Hanley's Universe
4 West 33rd Street
Jim Hanley's store was great! We stopped in on Wednesday evening to see him and the store was packed. Jim said that usually when the store closes at 11:00 p.m., there are still people in the store buying and browsing. We were greeted as soon as we walked in and were asked if we needed assistance. He has staff all over the store and we saw six or seven employees walking around assisting customers. They all wear name tags around their necks so it makes it very easy to spot an employee if assistance is needed.
Jim told us that a few years back they moved a few doors down into a smaller location but it's still a great size and directly across the street from the Empire State Building. The front window was in full Hellboy mode; a few weeks back they even had Hellboy actor Ron Perlman in for a signing. Jim said that Ron was great; he signed autographs for a few hours longer than he had scheduled and was quite the crowd pleaser. Jim said that although signings can be a lot of work they always make his customers happy so it's worth the extra effort.
They have a basement that's chock full of goodies both new and old, and their store floor is just as jam-packed with product but displayed very well. T-shirts line the wall close to the ceiling on square holders. The books and magazines are neat and well taken care of, and trades were plentiful and organized. Toys and novelty items were great; a very good mix and something for everyone.
Midtown Comics
Times Square Location
200 West 40th Street
The Midtown Comics stores are clean, neat, boast an exceptionally knowledgeable and attentive staff, are packed with merchandise and customers, have great locations, and stock a little something for everybody. All employees wear "STAFF" shirts, making it easy to locate someone if you need assistance.
Customers can spot them right away from the street thanks to a great Spider-Man sign that attracts your attention immediately. Once inside, the store is well-lit and clean. They are located on the corner of the building, so they have just about floor to ceiling windows on two sides of the store that lets in the sunlight. Supplies were located near the register for easy access.
Grand Central Location
459 Lexington Avenue
Midtown's Grand Central location opened recently and has a 5' x 8' Superman symbol outside that invites customers in. A great sign in Grand Central Station, flyers at the other store, and the Superman sign on the building are also excellent advertising devices. The store is spaced out and everything is easy to find. When you get off of the elevator there's a She-Hulk painting that they had commissioned from the artist; very nice use of wall space. Gerry Gladston is very proud of how the trade paperbacks are displayed and thinks that's the reason they're moving so well.
Krypton Comics
611 Midland Avenue
Krypton Owner Artie Palomba has changed locations twice in the past few years and moved into his new Staten Island location about a year ago. He was across the street from where he is now, and when this new store front became available he jumped on it. It's on the corner with great window space and his signs really stand out on the brick facade. He's done a good bit of work on the inside and it shows. He painted the walls a deep blue, which really helps the merchandise pop; added new wall fixtures; brought in more showcases; and has another on the way. The clothing rack was easily accessible and the statues and busts were well-lit and displayed.
Artie really knows his customers. Everyone who came in was greeted by name and he spoke with them for a while, pointing out new items they may be interested in. He also has seats for customers to sit and watch television with him and maintains a friendly atmosphere. Add a video game machine for some extra revenue and you've got a good comics shop.
-- Diamond Domestic Customer Service Manager Nance Romer
Recently, Diamond Domestic Customer Service Manager Nance Romer and Customer Service Representative Cathy Fleming took a trip to New York, NY to visit several comic book stores in the country's largest city. Through the course of the outing, Nance noted things about each store that she thought might be useful to other retailers. Here's what she saw:
Collector's Universe II
31 West 46th Street
This store, located in the heart of Manhattan in an area known as Little Brazil, has been in its current location for three years. One of the first things I noticed upon walking into Collector's Universe was the big collection of sports cards for sale. I would say half of the space behind the counter was dedicated to sports cards. There were also many and various collectible kitsch items when you first walk in, kept in display cases that lined the wall on both sides. This acted as a hallway of sorts; an excellent eye catcher. If a person wasn't into comics, the cases might draw their attention and get them in the store.
Gotham City Comics
800 Lexington Avenue
This was a great store to see, filled with life and merchandise. Store Owner Bernie Saavedra and Manager Jon Olson are extremely personable; they knew every customer that walked through their doorway. Jon, who has been with the store for eight of the store's 10 years in this location, walked around with customers and pointed out new items that had arrived in which they might be interested. Bernie was quick to pull subscribers' boxes for the week and suggest other books, too. Since the store is located on the second floor, the team has hung multiple posters in the windows in order to get attention from the street below.
St. Mark's Comics
11 St. Mark's Place
Located in its current East Village location for 25 years, St. Mark's was exactly what I expected: an extremely friendly atmosphere, packed to the gills with merchandise. Store employee Mary was "stationed" in the front of the store, greeting and checking bags, while colleague Pat was in the back assisting customers. The amount of light from windows and overhead lighting made the store that much better.
Comic Art Gallery
214 Sullivan Street
Owner Joe Lihach's store is located near New York University in Greenwich Village, so he really attracts an eclectic crowd. With a huge front window and a big store, he has room to do a big business in models and everything that goes with them: paint, glue, etc. He also takes statues and customizes them for his customers.
Jim Hanley's Universe
4 West 33rd Street
Jim Hanley's store was great! We stopped in on Wednesday evening to see him and the store was packed. Jim said that usually when the store closes at 11:00 p.m., there are still people in the store buying and browsing. We were greeted as soon as we walked in and were asked if we needed assistance. He has staff all over the store and we saw six or seven employees walking around assisting customers. They all wear name tags around their necks so it makes it very easy to spot an employee if assistance is needed.
Jim told us that a few years back they moved a few doors down into a smaller location but it's still a great size and directly across the street from the Empire State Building. The front window was in full Hellboy mode; a few weeks back they even had Hellboy actor Ron Perlman in for a signing. Jim said that Ron was great; he signed autographs for a few hours longer than he had scheduled and was quite the crowd pleaser. Jim said that although signings can be a lot of work they always make his customers happy so it's worth the extra effort.
They have a basement that's chock full of goodies both new and old, and their store floor is just as jam-packed with product but displayed very well. T-shirts line the wall close to the ceiling on square holders. The books and magazines are neat and well taken care of, and trades were plentiful and organized. Toys and novelty items were great; a very good mix and something for everyone.
Midtown Comics
Times Square Location
200 West 40th Street
The Midtown Comics stores are clean, neat, boast an exceptionally knowledgeable and attentive staff, are packed with merchandise and customers, have great locations, and stock a little something for everybody. All employees wear "STAFF" shirts, making it easy to locate someone if you need assistance.
Customers can spot them right away from the street thanks to a great Spider-Man sign that attracts your attention immediately. Once inside, the store is well-lit and clean. They are located on the corner of the building, so they have just about floor to ceiling windows on two sides of the store that lets in the sunlight. Supplies were located near the register for easy access.
Grand Central Location
459 Lexington Avenue
Midtown's Grand Central location opened recently and has a 5' x 8' Superman symbol outside that invites customers in. A great sign in Grand Central Station, flyers at the other store, and the Superman sign on the building are also excellent advertising devices. The store is spaced out and everything is easy to find. When you get off of the elevator there's a She-Hulk painting that they had commissioned from the artist; very nice use of wall space. Gerry Gladston is very proud of how the trade paperbacks are displayed and thinks that's the reason they're moving so well.
Krypton Comics
611 Midland Avenue
Krypton Owner Artie Palomba has changed locations twice in the past few years and moved into his new Staten Island location about a year ago. He was across the street from where he is now, and when this new store front became available he jumped on it. It's on the corner with great window space and his signs really stand out on the brick facade. He's done a good bit of work on the inside and it shows. He painted the walls a deep blue, which really helps the merchandise pop; added new wall fixtures; brought in more showcases; and has another on the way. The clothing rack was easily accessible and the statues and busts were well-lit and displayed.
Artie really knows his customers. Everyone who came in was greeted by name and he spoke with them for a while, pointing out new items they may be interested in. He also has seats for customers to sit and watch television with him and maintains a friendly atmosphere. Add a video game machine for some extra revenue and you've got a good comics shop.
-- Diamond Domestic Customer Service Manager Nance Romer
