From the Road: Showcase Comics -- A Real Trendsetter…and Follower!
From the July 2004 Diamond Dialogue:
Mike Clark moved to the Philadelphia, PA area after graduating from Oregon State University. Like many retailers, he had collected comic books as a child and took a one-day-a-week job in a local store while attending graduate school. Within a week he moved up to the position of manager as a result of differences between the former manager and the store's owner. Mike was responsible for everything except ordering the product and paying the bills -- the two things he would soon learn were the most important!
He would eventually go on to complete his master's degree in statistical theory (a branch of mathematics), but had acquired a taste for the comic book industry and soon went into business for himself. The first Showcase Comics opened on January 3, 1988, in a 230-square-foot shop, which is now used as a ticket booth for a movie theater. Over the next 15 years, Mike would move and expand this location several times, open two more Showcase Comics in different parts of Philly, and sell the downtown location. Bryn Mawr, PA, was the site of the first new store, and is one of the top 10 wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. Several prominent schools are nearby, giving the area the feel of a college town, but with an Ivy League touch. A mall store was opened in 1991 in the Philadelphia suburb of Media, and continues to flourish today.
Mike puts his mathematics background to good use in the business, watching his "flowsheets" -- charts for keeping track of business -- for trends and variations in title sales. Yearly sales trends are noted, as are differences between times of the year. For example, sales patterns change noticeably when children are in school, and also during holidays. Even the weather can affect sales in a big way. Mike has noticed that nice weather often means a slower day at the mall, as people tend to stay outside, but an extreme temperature -- at either end -- can mean increased sales, as people come to the mall to escape the heat or cold. The opposite is true with his Bryn Mawr location, which experiences lower sales in bad weather and better sales when there are pleasant temperatures outside.
One of Mike's strengths is an ability to create unique fixtures for his products that display them effectively using pre-made furniture. A bookshelf placed on its back, supported underneath, and with its shelves set to the width of comic books becomes a sturdy back issue bin. It's solid, looks professional, and is less expensive than a custom-made fixture. Pre-made white melamine shelves at the rear of the store hold role-playing game books, with the shelves at a slight angle -- this provides good facing but still allows the books to remain stable. Mike has found that visiting a lumber yard or furniture store with an idea what he needs in mind can be quite rewarding with a little bit of ingenuity. For example, he knew he wanted to display some gaming items in a rolling display. By adding a basin-type piece to a low-sitting kitchen cabinet unit with shelves and wheels, he created a versatile mobile storage and display piece.
Mike feels that watching and responding to sales trends, or more simply put, watching what customers want, has helped him stay in business for over 15 years. He is pleased to see the rise of the collected editions and trade paperbacks, as it has attracted new and different customers. "We sell a huge amount of trade paperbacks," he said with pride. He stresses the importance of keeping a good and varied stock of items, as these new casual customers will not come in every week, but must find something to catch their interest on that first visit.
With a steady flow of regular customers and an increasing number of new customers, Mike is optimistic and enthusiastic about his business. "A female audience entered comics with [DC Comics/]Vertigo and independent titles such as Strangers in Paradise, and now we are seeing traditional book buyers come in because we offer product in the format they like," Clark reported. With two stores offering a wide variety of stocked items in attractive and affordable fixtures, Showcase Comics should offer no shortage of future positive sales trends for analysis!
-- Diamond Field Representative Eric Hitchcock
Mike Clark moved to the Philadelphia, PA area after graduating from Oregon State University. Like many retailers, he had collected comic books as a child and took a one-day-a-week job in a local store while attending graduate school. Within a week he moved up to the position of manager as a result of differences between the former manager and the store's owner. Mike was responsible for everything except ordering the product and paying the bills -- the two things he would soon learn were the most important!
He would eventually go on to complete his master's degree in statistical theory (a branch of mathematics), but had acquired a taste for the comic book industry and soon went into business for himself. The first Showcase Comics opened on January 3, 1988, in a 230-square-foot shop, which is now used as a ticket booth for a movie theater. Over the next 15 years, Mike would move and expand this location several times, open two more Showcase Comics in different parts of Philly, and sell the downtown location. Bryn Mawr, PA, was the site of the first new store, and is one of the top 10 wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. Several prominent schools are nearby, giving the area the feel of a college town, but with an Ivy League touch. A mall store was opened in 1991 in the Philadelphia suburb of Media, and continues to flourish today.
Mike puts his mathematics background to good use in the business, watching his "flowsheets" -- charts for keeping track of business -- for trends and variations in title sales. Yearly sales trends are noted, as are differences between times of the year. For example, sales patterns change noticeably when children are in school, and also during holidays. Even the weather can affect sales in a big way. Mike has noticed that nice weather often means a slower day at the mall, as people tend to stay outside, but an extreme temperature -- at either end -- can mean increased sales, as people come to the mall to escape the heat or cold. The opposite is true with his Bryn Mawr location, which experiences lower sales in bad weather and better sales when there are pleasant temperatures outside.
One of Mike's strengths is an ability to create unique fixtures for his products that display them effectively using pre-made furniture. A bookshelf placed on its back, supported underneath, and with its shelves set to the width of comic books becomes a sturdy back issue bin. It's solid, looks professional, and is less expensive than a custom-made fixture. Pre-made white melamine shelves at the rear of the store hold role-playing game books, with the shelves at a slight angle -- this provides good facing but still allows the books to remain stable. Mike has found that visiting a lumber yard or furniture store with an idea what he needs in mind can be quite rewarding with a little bit of ingenuity. For example, he knew he wanted to display some gaming items in a rolling display. By adding a basin-type piece to a low-sitting kitchen cabinet unit with shelves and wheels, he created a versatile mobile storage and display piece.
Mike feels that watching and responding to sales trends, or more simply put, watching what customers want, has helped him stay in business for over 15 years. He is pleased to see the rise of the collected editions and trade paperbacks, as it has attracted new and different customers. "We sell a huge amount of trade paperbacks," he said with pride. He stresses the importance of keeping a good and varied stock of items, as these new casual customers will not come in every week, but must find something to catch their interest on that first visit.
With a steady flow of regular customers and an increasing number of new customers, Mike is optimistic and enthusiastic about his business. "A female audience entered comics with [DC Comics/]Vertigo and independent titles such as Strangers in Paradise, and now we are seeing traditional book buyers come in because we offer product in the format they like," Clark reported. With two stores offering a wide variety of stocked items in attractive and affordable fixtures, Showcase Comics should offer no shortage of future positive sales trends for analysis!
-- Diamond Field Representative Eric Hitchcock
