I went to a shop where the clerk saw my stack of comics and said: “Now the fun part, I get to judge your choices!” He then preceded to tear apart my selections….. That shop didn’t last long
@@arthobbitworks791right, if they’re that bad of choices wouldn’t he be glad they were going to sell them. I would have said thanks for the heads up now keep them 😒
My favorites are the dump and old school for digging for deals, and the young gunner for the cleanliness and professionalism. I suppose you can throw the going out of business spot in there as well, as you can really get some deals. Not a fan of the coffee and Danish spot, nor the comic shop that has really just transitioned to being an MTG or 40K spot, though you can sometimes find deals in their old comic inventory. Another great video!
I would add the Half n Half shop. Where it’s two businesses in one basically for example tabletop gaming/ comics, used books n movies/ comics, vinyl/ comics, even in GA we have a barbershop/ comic shop. One hand helps feed the other.
I also have a shop that I call the garage shop kinda like the dump where there’re boxes everywhere. Their shop is in a strip mall and it’s just too small for their needs but it’s all they can afford. It’s like you’re shopping in the owners garage. Every collection they’ve purchased is on the floor nothings priced and you have to step over boxes to get to other boxes. There’s comics and toys and tpb’s everywhere no organization but you can find some awesome stuff and can haggle if you’re willing to spend an afternoon hunting. Owner is a nice guy who just needs a bigger place. Love the garage shop
Absolutely another on point video. I been to that Norfolk Coffee and Danish shop in Norfolk, SPOT ON! My favorite shop is a hybrid of "the dump" and "old school", its the type of shop of that you can find deals because the "the old school" guy's mentality is..."if you find it and i haven't price it that's my fault not yours". I love digging in a chaotic mess. Trilogy comics in Virginia is an example of type of hybrid. Stickygoose featured this shop before.
I go to a shop that is kinda old school, but the owner isn’t a collector so buy and sell prices are always set to what the comic price guide says. I’ve gotten a lot of big comics for great prices!
At bare minimum I require a comic store to be organized. I simply don't have time to look through long boxes of unorganized comics. I'd rather pay some amount of a premium for time saved. When I was younger with a lot more time and a lot less money I would be all about the dump though, lol.
I love this list of comic book shops, they are so on point. I regularly go to two shops in the DFW area and the one is definitely the coffee & danish type of shop and the other one i go to is a combination of the old school and the young gunner. They are definitely old school in their opinions, pricing, and absorption of collection and toys but they have adopted selling online through Facebook live sales as well as their own website. I have definitely been to a few of those dumps and your totally right if your going to find steals its at the dumps because they are so disorganized that they normally don't even know what they have and they usually come up with a random price on the spot for any books you pull out.
@@frankiesilverman Urban Legend Comics in Mesquite, TX is almost 100% what he described as the coffee & danish type of shop. The other one is Duncanville Bookstore in Duncanville, TX. Both are quality shops though with the former being better for picking up all the new books coming out and ratio incentive covers and the latter being the better spot for back issues.
A fair and funny take. My cousin was the OG comic shop guy with the Dump location. Literally right next to a coin laundry and bodega and you either found him offensive or extremely honest and knowledgeable about comics. You earned a sub with this one. Good stuff😆
That Dump place could open up another store somewhere by splitting up the mountain of stuff piled in it. Ok....I would have my kids open up a Young Gunner store across the street from the original store and play them against each other. Make it seem like they are enemies and in serious competition. Old School vs New School. Behind the scenes they are working together.... Heck and make a reality show out of it. Comic Wars!!
So many shops don't sell new books, to me you are not a comic store without it. You are just a collectible store. The problem is there are way too many of them.
Here in Portland, Oregon, half the stores are Coffee and Danish hipster hangouts that have no back issues and are only selling indie/underground stuff anyhow. There are a couple Old School stores in places with nowhere to conveniently park. I've seen a couple of favorites change over the years. Future Dreams used to be an Old School that moved and the new location is a Dump that's gotten progressively dumpier where I cant even find comics amongst all the clutter. Things From Another World In Milwaukie used to be an Old School that reinvented itself by ditching its back issues and trying to pull off a Young Gunner vibe. Didn't know a comic shop could have a mid-life crisis.
The dump is amazing for finding those rare and weird comics. I do like Old School, as most of them have their charm and usually pretty good back issue selection.
Some of these Comic Shop nicknames had me dying! And you definitely aren't wrong in the description! But, u left a few out. I live in NJ, and practically lived in eastern P.A. Over here there are 5 types of comic book shops. 1) The Hippy burnout shop. These comic shops look like a diner was once here from the 50's-60's that was made into a old school record shop, then turned into a comic book shop. Inside you'll see vintage records, old and new action figures, some super hero/villain shirts, old school rock band shirts of Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc. The new comics will be mixed with older comics from 5 years ago. The owner is always a skinny pothead hippy wearing either tie dye or older rock band shirts. 2) The New Age Games & Comic Shop This shop is usually run by a guy in his late 20's early 30's who wears full button down shirts with nice clean hair, lol. The shop is clean with hardwood floors. In the middle, you'll find huge cardboard cutouts of super heroes, MTG and Pokemon posters, etc. The comics are typically hidden behind hige aisles of super hero themed board games, model airplane kits, miniature boxes, mini figure paints, etc. They only have a small supply of comics. Usually just new comics that week or up to 3 weeks ago. There's no back issues or anything. 3) Old School Comic Shop This comic shop is usually run by a ogrish looking man who has a Lex Luthor IQ in comics. Or thinks he does. If u ask this man if he has a new popular book u missed out on Wednesday, he will usually laugh in your face and ask why u weren't here 5 days ago. These shops typically like to mix Marvel, DC, Image, Darkhorse, etc by sections. They also love flippong books upside down that are a month old.... So annoying.. Their back issue boxes are laid out and mostly shoved in the box with no bag or board. So gl finding a 9.8. Oh, and they HATE graded books. 4) The Jack of all trade Comic Shop This dude is usually very knowledgeable about everythjng he's selling. He don't buy your collection, bc he's still got stuff in the back he hasn't gotten to in 5 years. This shop owner has been to ALOT of other shops. And a little part of those shops goes into his shop. It's like he is unsure what he wants his shop to be, so he copies other ppl. Hence the "Jack of all trade Comic Shop." This shop will have new comics usually organized with tons of back issue long boxes. Also, you'll see statues, action figures, sports cards, pokemon, mtg, pops, shirts, keychains, magazines, paperbacks, slabs, posters, even footballs, baseballs, etc. He HAS IT ALL! 5) The Slop Shop U did a good description on the Dump. It's very similar. This shop smells like 37 cats died in their own piss over the years. The place is cluttered with junk from 1973. Newspapers of jfk's death are still hanging up. There's so much cardboard and regular boxes of random shit like newspapers everywhere, magazines, stickers, and of course comic books. There aren't many new weekly issues. And watch your step! If u bump into something, you may knock over 180 pounds of newspapers & magazines! I never buy from these places. You should check out a few shops in NJ and P.A. Wades in P.A is probably the best shop I've ever been to, followed by Heroes comics in Burlington NJ!
So you've been to some comic stores in Virginia! Have you been to any stores in northern Virginia? Specifically Woodbridge. I'd love to know where you'd categorize them! For one store, I'd definitely say "old school" due to their dis-acknowledgement of graded comics and zero online presence. The other has no back issues, and the owner will justify that by saying any comic after 1975 is basically worthless (while he's got a raw ~9.2 TWD #1 behind the counter for $1,200).
growing up in NOVA I remember ALL the great comic shops from Fredricksburg up into MD there were so many good ones that are now long gone - some of the best and some of the worst but now just a part of history
You forget another type of comic shop, the type I mean is like our local shop. They do have comics, hardly no back issues but care more about RPG gaming than anything else. There are tables set up that take up much of the shop and people constantly playing all day. Do these people ever work or just waste there lives playing stupid fantasy card games? If you ask the employees any comic book questions they just shrug there shoulders and say I don't know, books are over there with a careless attitude. I really hate this kind of shop but it's all we have, that's why I do the majority of my shopping online!
Absolutely cannot stand the 'pricing at the counter.' If they do it after I've picked out my books, it suddenly becomes the last time I shop there..... funny video and spot on with the descriptions!
I think you are obviously from VA and Im surprised you didn't mention the 6th type that has popped up in the last decade or so - the corporate used EVERYTHING store - such as McKays Books , 1/2 price books and 2nd and charles - then there are the "mall stores" that are franchised like dragon's lair - I really liked your video and you are SPOT ON with your 5 types
Lived in Milwaukee from 2004-2008 Collector's edge and The Turning Page is where i frequented. In those days, I must say I was happy with the prices, but that was a different time.
@@suphiljones4609 I used to love Collectors Edge but I’ve found them to be pretty unfriendly and overpriced in the last several years so I stopped going. Haven’t been to turning page in a while, I’ll have to check ‘em out one of these days
In high school I worked at the largest store in the southeast. If the owner ran it right, he had the inventory that he could've compeated with Lonestar and MileHigh. He had thousands of overstock books going back to the 80s that sat for years and finally got ruined by water damage. Also had a great location that brought in out if towners for an antique festival It's just a shame at what could've been.
Great observations. Got me to thinking what kind of shops I'm running and what else might be out there that was missed. I'd propose another type. "The claim to fame" style store. These are stores that have specific missions in mind and set out to achieve a specific goal. Mile High (largest), MyComicShop (online), The Dragon (retailer support), Space Cadets (artist support), Flying Colors (FCBD), Heroes Aren't Hard to Find (Heroes Con) and so on. In the past, my stores - Galactic Quest - have focused on having the best possible "All Ages" section to welcome the next generation of readers while reaching out to schools and libraries. In recent years, we has become "The largest FCBD events in the country with 10,000+ attendees" and "Largest Manga store in the county". This kind of thinking keeps us very profitable and always moving forward. There's always an energy to these type of stores and they tend to do very well.
Have you ever been to a comic book shop that is a chain within a certain part of a state or two? I've been to like 3 stores with the same name called Comics-N-Stuff within San Diego County (*the 3rd store was inside of San Diego Comic-Con, and I believe there was a store at a nearby mall in downtown San Diego at that time) and I visited a store out in Murrieta, California called Graham Cracker Comics that is mainly a chain within Illinois (main near Chicago and further out) and one store in Wisconsin.
Went to a dump shop last week, damn boxes everywhere, figures on top of boxes, boxes ontop of boxes, could lf easily tripped numerous times, my head was spinning, didn't know where to start, weren't in there long.
It occurs to me that there’s a sixth type of store. They can sometimes have some similarities to the dump or the old school but they are a unique type all their own. The warehouse store. They don’t have to be an actual warehouse but they have a warehouse feel. They will have back issue bins that seem to go on forever. I know of one warehouse store that’s almost all $1 books, not sorted, and it’s easy to spend 5 hours in there digging and digging and come away with a stack of gems. Sometimes they have extensive back issue inventory and are well sorted and organized. Most obvious example is Mile High Comics in Colorado. They’re also old school but the size of the place and the number of comics is breathtaking.
Hilarious! I’ve actually been in three of the shops you mentioned! You left out the Marvel/DC only shop, I’ve been in a few of those. Since that doesn’t really interest me anymore those are usually pretty disappointing. How about the old school that doesn’t purchase any new comics. I’ve found a couple of those too.
As someone who's only just gotten back into the hobby this year, I've now been to all the lcs's in about a 40 mile radius and you've almost described them all perfectly. And yeah, "The Going Out of Buisness Store" rings true here. Wants you to do the work of digging through piles of largely out of order books that are not priced so they can check ebay and charge a high price on obscure keys. (I haven't been back.) You left out that category of, "Multipurpose Comic Shop" Which seem to be focused anything but comics, Funko PoPs, RPG, Pokémon etc.
Getting "up-priced" at the counter is a huge reason you go out of business. I had that happen to me once at now an "out of business" store, and that was the last time.
I've been to many of these. The old school place for some reason also has a guy behind the counter with either greasy hair or long fingernails as well.
Hilarious …we have an old school shop in Dallas called titan comics and you’re dead on. Snarky owner overly sarcastic who seems initially helpful until you ask a question and then you’re a dipsh$t. I also have a dump shop that cares more about the card games than the comics…with gamer tables everywhere and stacks of long boxes with comics completely unorganized. I pulled a Batman beyond #1 out of box that was dusty and had roach turds all over it and took it to the front and the guy was like ya wow look at that that’ll be 300$ . I’m like bro I just pulled that out of a box with cobwebs and roach turds all over it are you kidding me. Ha ha ha
Damn what you said about the back issue is so true.I told my owner damn I just twisted my damn ankle over all this junk to get back here and you gonna look up a damn completed sale listing😂😂 cobwebs and roach turds😂😂😂😂😂😂
Titan Comics was the first shop I ever went to, 8 years ago. I told the owner that and he seemed to get really pissed about it, even after I spent $100😂
There are comics stores that when you walk in, have graphic novels on a single shelf in the corner and the remainder of the space has been converted to DND and Pokemon. So comic store in name only. =O
Dude your commentaries get better and better I can tell you are an experienced collector because you described those stores spot on....I don't see how you keep a straight face as you describe the stores because it's so funny but true.... unfortunately my LCS is a going out of business store...so I then go to my dump store where you get any back issue you can think of but you get a very nasty attitude and the need of a possible tetanus shot.....great video Bro...shout out from Birmingham Al
Most comic shops I see nowadays are a hybrid mixture of the first four shops described here. Unlike the 1990's when there used to be a comic shop in every neighborhood... there are only a few stores left in my city today. All of them had to adapt and sell Funko Pops and Games now. I've so far never seen a "Going out of business" shop that changes the prices at the register.
Don’t forget that the 5 types of shops is actually the life stages of an LCS.. they all start off as Young Guns… but towards the end they are living in the back storage area eating cat food and dog treats to survive… bitter, lonely and constantly re-hashing and damning the day they decided to open a comic shop.
Good video man. Yeah I have been to 5 type stores 😂and the one that's a dump i went to was the owner himself just sitting behind counter while watching movies lol and jerk cause he wouldn't even know much of comics nor would he ask if needed help and his coworker being asleep on chair etc. I for years have been going to Fourth World Comics and the whole team knows me and are very friendly and know there's stuff. But definitely good video
Hilarious! You forgot to mention that the old school owner is schooled in the way of Jedi mind tricks and is clever enough to get one to pay way too much.
My only local shop is inside the mall and while they have tons of selection when it comes to back issues they have the problem of having everything unorganized. You could be looking through a long box and find an issue of teen titans then behind it is some random issue of spiderman followed by issues of old g.i Joe comics 😂. That isn’t even the biggest issue though. They seem to have a bias specifically toward marvel. 90% of the keys and slabs they have are marvel and even when they get new releases it is all marvel with maybe 1-2 issue of random dc, or indie brands. Not to mention they charge $10 per new issue. The biggest praise I give them Tho is they do cover price for pretty much any back issue you find. Some will have prices but most don’t so if you dig really well you’ll find some great issues for $1-$3
I got some of my best comics out of "THE DUMP", yeah, the place is unorganized, the owner is all over the place and not the neatest looking guy. My dump was an old comic shop on 14th street in Manhattan (I forgot the name). I would always get a stack of gem back issues, I would buy so many books that he wouldn't even look thru all the books...he would just cut me a deal...I loved it, I would expect to pay 90 or 100bucks and he would say 60...LOL I miss my dump (it did smell stale in there) 1 memory I have is, the behind the counter books (the high price back issues) were all ruined because he had a big window and all the behind the counter books had sun damage...I probably could have got a great deal but I left them alone
Haven’t been to the “coffee shop comic store”. Been to all the others. Young guns. All recent books and recent back issues. Along with 1:100 and few old comics etc. Dump. Everything from all comic eras. All over the place in not order. Spec shop. Part of the shop is closed off for spec pricing of books.
My comic shop is a mixture of the Coffee & Danish shop (due to everything being MSRP or higher and filled with absolutes, omnibus and tpbs), the Young Gunner (it’s in a strip mall, has 4 TVs playing Marvel or Star Wars movies, sells online, has a terrible selection of back issues and probably has high rent so they don’t wheel and deal), and The Old School (because the owner is 80% dick and thinks he’s the shit, but hidden behind a “God Bless You” after each visit).
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You’re a comedian at heart. Absolutely perfect descriptions 😂. I’m picking the “DUMP” every time!!
JB!
I hate walking into a shop and seeing more Funko pops than comic books
Amen brother
I don't even consider that a comic book shop. It's just a pop culture, niche, geek place that happens to sell comics on the side.
@@nwoking666 agreed
We don't all want just books. If they're comic related what does it hurt you. Quit bitching and go somewhere else or buy something
@@jonathangates6211 no one was “bitching” until you took offense to others having a opinion and thus started bitching to us
Been to all 5 type of stores and have stories to tell from all of them. Hit the nail on the head with this topic 100%.
Love the dumps dude and old skool
I went to a shop where the clerk saw my stack of comics and said: “Now the fun part, I get to judge your choices!” He then preceded to tear apart my selections….. That shop didn’t last long
If they had said that to me, I would have not said a word left my books on the table then walker out right then and there.
What the?!
@@arthobbitworks791right, if they’re that bad of choices wouldn’t he be glad they were going to sell them. I would have said thanks for the heads up now keep them 😒
The Dump is really the place you wanna get your comic books.
You are absolutely CORRECT with all of those descriptions. I will take the Dump comic shop any day those are my all time favorites.
My favorites are the dump and old school for digging for deals, and the young gunner for the cleanliness and professionalism. I suppose you can throw the going out of business spot in there as well, as you can really get some deals. Not a fan of the coffee and Danish spot, nor the comic shop that has really just transitioned to being an MTG or 40K spot, though you can sometimes find deals in their old comic inventory. Another great video!
The Dump is always solid if they aren't doing "let me go to ebay" I hit the lick and found a 3 claw variant at one
I love "the dump" shops. My greatest finds are from those shops!
Thanks for another great shout out! We really appreciate it!
“Old School” is king. 👑
“Owner is usually disgruntled or disheveled cuz, let’s face facts, he’s in a dump.” Hahahahahahaha
I've had some great finds in pawn shops and card shops. I also have found bargains in used book stores.
The Dump cracked me up because I’ve been in so many of these places.
I would add the Half n Half shop. Where it’s two businesses in one basically for example tabletop gaming/ comics, used books n movies/ comics, vinyl/ comics, even in GA we have a barbershop/ comic shop. One hand helps feed the other.
I also have a shop that I call the garage shop kinda like the dump where there’re boxes everywhere. Their shop is in a strip mall and it’s just too small for their needs but it’s all they can afford. It’s like you’re shopping in the owners garage. Every collection they’ve purchased is on the floor nothings priced and you have to step over boxes to get to other boxes. There’s comics and toys and tpb’s everywhere no organization but you can find some awesome stuff and can haggle if you’re willing to spend an afternoon hunting. Owner is a nice guy who just needs a bigger place. Love the garage shop
The Kony 2012 flag had me rolling😂 thought everyone forgot about that scam
"We believe in the current thing!" So many places like that in Vancouver, usually a guy with blue hair with a spider-man mask...
Absolutely another on point video. I been to that Norfolk Coffee and Danish shop in Norfolk, SPOT ON! My favorite shop is a hybrid of "the dump" and "old school", its the type of shop of that you can find deals because the "the old school" guy's mentality is..."if you find it and i haven't price it that's my fault not yours". I love digging in a chaotic mess. Trilogy comics in Virginia is an example of type of hybrid. Stickygoose featured this shop before.
I go to a shop that is kinda old school, but the owner isn’t a collector so buy and sell prices are always set to what the comic price guide says. I’ve gotten a lot of big comics for great prices!
At bare minimum I require a comic store to be organized. I simply don't have time to look through long boxes of unorganized comics. I'd rather pay some amount of a premium for time saved.
When I was younger with a lot more time and a lot less money I would be all about the dump though, lol.
We've all been to a DUMP. It's a badge of honor to survive one and come out without retching.
I love this list of comic book shops, they are so on point. I regularly go to two shops in the DFW area and the one is definitely the coffee & danish type of shop and the other one i go to is a combination of the old school and the young gunner. They are definitely old school in their opinions, pricing, and absorption of collection and toys but they have adopted selling online through Facebook live sales as well as their own website. I have definitely been to a few of those dumps and your totally right if your going to find steals its at the dumps because they are so disorganized that they normally don't even know what they have and they usually come up with a random price on the spot for any books you pull out.
What are the spots?
@@frankiesilverman Urban Legend Comics in Mesquite, TX is almost 100% what he described as the coffee & danish type of shop. The other one is Duncanville Bookstore in Duncanville, TX. Both are quality shops though with the former being better for picking up all the new books coming out and ratio incentive covers and the latter being the better spot for back issues.
😂😂😂 I see what you did... "TOOL" shirt dedicated to JemMinty & other members of the Manipulation 🤡 Pose from the last video.
the dump is my favorite type of comic book shop. i love to dig and they kick ass for that.
A fair and funny take. My cousin was the OG comic shop guy with the Dump location. Literally right next to a coin laundry and bodega and you either found him offensive or extremely honest and knowledgeable about comics.
You earned a sub with this one.
Good stuff😆
Wow, as you were describing each one of these, a store in my area came to mind. Really impressive…and hilarious. Thank you!
Fun video and dope TOOL shirt waiting on my Undertow one!
That Dump place could open up another store somewhere by splitting up the mountain of stuff piled in it. Ok....I would have my kids open up a Young Gunner store across the street from the original store and play them against each other. Make it seem like they are enemies and in serious competition. Old School vs New School. Behind the scenes they are working together.... Heck and make a reality show out of it. Comic Wars!!
sounds like a movie
So many shops don't sell new books, to me you are not a comic store without it. You are just a collectible store. The problem is there are way too many of them.
Here in Portland, Oregon, half the stores are Coffee and Danish hipster hangouts that have no back issues and are only selling indie/underground stuff anyhow. There are a couple Old School stores in places with nowhere to conveniently park. I've seen a couple of favorites change over the years. Future Dreams used to be an Old School that moved and the new location is a Dump that's gotten progressively dumpier where I cant even find comics amongst all the clutter. Things From Another World In Milwaukie used to be an Old School that reinvented itself by ditching its back issues and trying to pull off a Young Gunner vibe. Didn't know a comic shop could have a mid-life crisis.
Had me cracking up! 😂 😆
I love how you give actual examples of each type, and they are spot on.
The dump is amazing for finding those rare and weird comics. I do like Old School, as most of them have their charm and usually pretty good back issue selection.
You’re gonna smell some stuff in here.
Jesus, this is hilarious.
Some of these Comic Shop nicknames had me dying! And you definitely aren't wrong in the description!
But, u left a few out. I live in NJ, and practically lived in eastern P.A. Over here there are 5 types of comic book shops.
1) The Hippy burnout shop.
These comic shops look like a diner was once here from the 50's-60's that was made into a old school record shop, then turned into a comic book shop.
Inside you'll see vintage records, old and new action figures, some super hero/villain shirts, old school rock band shirts of Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc.
The new comics will be mixed with older comics from 5 years ago.
The owner is always a skinny pothead hippy wearing either tie dye or older rock band shirts.
2) The New Age Games & Comic Shop
This shop is usually run by a guy in his late 20's early 30's who wears full button down shirts with nice clean hair, lol.
The shop is clean with hardwood floors. In the middle, you'll find huge cardboard cutouts of super heroes, MTG and Pokemon posters, etc.
The comics are typically hidden behind hige aisles of super hero themed board games, model airplane kits, miniature boxes, mini figure paints, etc. They only have a small supply of comics. Usually just new comics that week or up to 3 weeks ago. There's no back issues or anything.
3) Old School Comic Shop
This comic shop is usually run by a ogrish looking man who has a Lex Luthor IQ in comics. Or thinks he does. If u ask this man if he has a new popular book u missed out on Wednesday, he will usually laugh in your face and ask why u weren't here 5 days ago.
These shops typically like to mix Marvel, DC, Image, Darkhorse, etc by sections. They also love flippong books upside down that are a month old.... So annoying..
Their back issue boxes are laid out and mostly shoved in the box with no bag or board. So gl finding a 9.8. Oh, and they HATE graded books.
4) The Jack of all trade Comic Shop
This dude is usually very knowledgeable about everythjng he's selling. He don't buy your collection, bc he's still got stuff in the back he hasn't gotten to in 5 years. This shop owner has been to ALOT of other shops. And a little part of those shops goes into his shop. It's like he is unsure what he wants his shop to be, so he copies other ppl. Hence the "Jack of all trade Comic Shop."
This shop will have new comics usually organized with tons of back issue long boxes. Also, you'll see statues, action figures, sports cards, pokemon, mtg, pops, shirts, keychains, magazines, paperbacks, slabs, posters, even footballs, baseballs, etc. He HAS IT ALL!
5) The Slop Shop
U did a good description on the Dump. It's very similar.
This shop smells like 37 cats died in their own piss over the years.
The place is cluttered with junk from 1973. Newspapers of jfk's death are still hanging up. There's so much cardboard and regular boxes of random shit like newspapers everywhere, magazines, stickers, and of course comic books.
There aren't many new weekly issues. And watch your step! If u bump into something, you may knock over 180 pounds of newspapers & magazines!
I never buy from these places.
You should check out a few shops in NJ and P.A. Wades in P.A is probably the best shop I've ever been to, followed by Heroes comics in Burlington NJ!
So you've been to some comic stores in Virginia! Have you been to any stores in northern Virginia? Specifically Woodbridge. I'd love to know where you'd categorize them! For one store, I'd definitely say "old school" due to their dis-acknowledgement of graded comics and zero online presence. The other has no back issues, and the owner will justify that by saying any comic after 1975 is basically worthless (while he's got a raw ~9.2 TWD #1 behind the counter for $1,200).
growing up in NOVA I remember ALL the great comic shops from Fredricksburg up into MD there were so many good ones that are now long gone - some of the best and some of the worst but now just a part of history
You forget another type of comic shop, the type I mean is like our local shop. They do have comics, hardly no back issues but care more about RPG gaming than anything else. There are tables set up that take up much of the shop and people constantly playing all day. Do these people ever work or just waste there lives playing stupid fantasy card games? If you ask the employees any comic book questions they just shrug there shoulders and say I don't know, books are over there with a careless attitude. I really hate this kind of shop but it's all we have, that's why I do the majority of my shopping online!
your shows just get better and better.
Absolutely cannot stand the 'pricing at the counter.' If they do it after I've picked out my books, it suddenly becomes the last time I shop there..... funny video and spot on with the descriptions!
I think you are obviously from VA and Im surprised you didn't mention the 6th type that has popped up in the last decade or so - the corporate used EVERYTHING store - such as McKays Books , 1/2 price books and 2nd and charles - then there are the "mall stores" that are franchised like dragon's lair - I really liked your video and you are SPOT ON with your 5 types
I love this vid and the info it provided, bang on point, hilarious that you can keep a straight face as I was just cracking up!
Had to chuckle at a few of the descriptions. Especially "the dump". Have been in more than a few of those lol
Here in Milwaukee we mostly have dumps. But good luck finding deals in those, more likely youll find Spawn 1 for $70
Lived in Milwaukee from 2004-2008 Collector's edge and The Turning Page is where i frequented. In those days, I must say I was happy with the prices, but that was a different time.
@@suphiljones4609 I used to love Collectors Edge but I’ve found them to be pretty unfriendly and overpriced in the last several years so I stopped going. Haven’t been to turning page in a while, I’ll have to check ‘em out one of these days
In high school I worked at the largest store in the southeast. If the owner ran it right, he had the inventory that he could've compeated with Lonestar and MileHigh. He had thousands of overstock books going back to the 80s that sat for years and finally got ruined by water damage. Also had a great location that brought in out if towners for an antique festival It's just a shame at what could've been.
is there a 5 types of comic book shoppers? I'm the guy at the dump who's rummaged through 25% of their back issue stock so far this year....
Great observations.
Got me to thinking what kind of shops I'm running and what else might be out there that was missed.
I'd propose another type. "The claim to fame" style store. These are stores that have specific missions in mind and set out to achieve a specific goal. Mile High (largest), MyComicShop (online), The Dragon (retailer support), Space Cadets (artist support), Flying Colors (FCBD), Heroes Aren't Hard to Find (Heroes Con) and so on.
In the past, my stores - Galactic Quest - have focused on having the best possible "All Ages" section to welcome the next generation of readers while reaching out to schools and libraries.
In recent years, we has become "The largest FCBD events in the country with 10,000+ attendees" and "Largest Manga store in the county". This kind of thinking keeps us very profitable and always moving forward. There's always an energy to these type of stores and they tend to do very well.
Holy smokes this whole video is so freaking accurate!
Have you ever been to a comic book shop that is a chain within a certain part of a state or two? I've been to like 3 stores with the same name called Comics-N-Stuff within San Diego County (*the 3rd store was inside of San Diego Comic-Con, and I believe there was a store at a nearby mall in downtown San Diego at that time) and I visited a store out in Murrieta, California called Graham Cracker Comics that is mainly a chain within Illinois (main near Chicago and further out) and one store in Wisconsin.
Went to a dump shop last week, damn boxes everywhere, figures on top of boxes, boxes ontop of boxes, could lf easily tripped numerous times, my head was spinning, didn't know where to start, weren't in there long.
My LCS is an amalgamation of all of them except the last one. The owner literally won the lottery and put it into a store. It's amazing.
It occurs to me that there’s a sixth type of store. They can sometimes have some similarities to the dump or the old school but they are a unique type all their own.
The warehouse store. They don’t have to be an actual warehouse but they have a warehouse feel. They will have back issue bins that seem to go on forever.
I know of one warehouse store that’s almost all $1 books, not sorted, and it’s easy to spend 5 hours in there digging and digging and come away with a stack of gems. Sometimes they have extensive back issue inventory and are well sorted and organized. Most obvious example is Mile High Comics in Colorado. They’re also old school but the size of the place and the number of comics is breathtaking.
Hilarious! I’ve actually been in three of the shops you mentioned! You left out the Marvel/DC only shop, I’ve been in a few of those. Since that doesn’t really interest me anymore those are usually pretty disappointing. How about the old school that doesn’t purchase any new comics. I’ve found a couple of those too.
I laughed my ass off when you hit "The Dump®"
As someone who's only just gotten back into the hobby this year, I've now been to all the lcs's in about a 40 mile radius and you've almost described them all perfectly. And yeah, "The Going Out of Buisness Store" rings true here. Wants you to do the work of digging through piles of largely out of order books that are not priced so they can check ebay and charge a high price on obscure keys. (I haven't been back.) You left out that category of, "Multipurpose Comic Shop" Which seem to be focused anything but comics, Funko PoPs, RPG, Pokémon etc.
I am very familiar with Local Heroes in Norfolk - spot on lol
do a video on the types of customers that frequent these shops That could be just as funny
that is a great idea!
Getting "up-priced" at the counter is a huge reason you go out of business. I had that happen to me once at now an "out of business" store, and that was the last time.
I've been to many of these. The old school place for some reason also has a guy behind the counter with either greasy hair or long fingernails as well.
Hilarious …we have an old school shop in Dallas called titan comics and you’re dead on. Snarky owner overly sarcastic who seems initially helpful until you ask a question and then you’re a dipsh$t. I also have a dump shop that cares more about the card games than the comics…with gamer tables everywhere and stacks of long boxes with comics completely unorganized. I pulled a Batman beyond #1 out of box that was dusty and had roach turds all over it and took it to the front and the guy was like ya wow look at that that’ll be 300$ . I’m like bro I just pulled that out of a box with cobwebs and roach turds all over it are you kidding me. Ha ha ha
Damn what you said about the back issue is so true.I told my owner damn I just twisted my damn ankle over all this junk to get back here and you gonna look up a damn completed sale listing😂😂 cobwebs and roach turds😂😂😂😂😂😂
Titan Comics was the first shop I ever went to, 8 years ago. I told the owner that and he seemed to get really pissed about it, even after I spent $100😂
@@TheDramolcan yep that’s him ha ha
which type do you think is more sustainable (profitable) now?
This was hilarious, 😂😂. Gold. The LCS needs to go away.
I love the dumps and old schools :D
I’ve been to those stores. I love going to the old school and the dump. The price at the counter guy is the worst.
There are comics stores that when you walk in, have graphic novels on a single shelf in the corner and the remainder of the space has been converted to DND and Pokemon. So comic store in name only. =O
What about the my way or the highway store?
Dude your commentaries get better and better I can tell you are an experienced collector because you described those stores spot on....I don't see how you keep a straight face as you describe the stores because it's so funny but true.... unfortunately my LCS is a going out of business store...so I then go to my dump store where you get any back issue you can think of but you get a very nasty attitude and the need of a possible tetanus shot.....great video Bro...shout out from Birmingham Al
Fun video. Question where does a comic book shop that does not sell new comics, but only back issues fit in these caregories?
PSA: At TS: 4:44, at “The Dump”…
You had me 😂😂😂. ROLLIN’..!!!!!!
HAHAHA…!!! 😂😂😅🤣🤣🤣
Aaaawww…DAYUM..!!
The Sticky 🪿 had me…LOL!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🥲🤣!!!!
Great video!!! Awesome topic. Keep up the good work. 😎
Don't forget the shops with tables set up for gaming.
Omg dude nearly fell out of the chair laughing 😅😅😅 . I prefer the dump and old school cuz I'm old LOL
I’ve been to one where it’s cluttered and try to find something. The other ones more organized very nice.
Most comic shops I see nowadays are a hybrid mixture of the first four shops described here. Unlike the 1990's when there used to be a comic shop in every neighborhood... there are only a few stores left in my city today. All of them had to adapt and sell Funko Pops and Games now.
I've so far never seen a "Going out of business" shop that changes the prices at the register.
I think my LCS is considered to be in the “dump” category. Lots of dollar bins and back issues for $3 a piece. Get great deals there
My least favorite is comic shops are the only MSRP pricing, with white lighting and not a discount in sight on anything lol
Oh nooooo, we only have 3 shops in my area so if they aren't the good ones I'm screwed
It was 3, now it’s 5! 😂😂
Don’t forget that the 5 types of shops is actually the life stages of an LCS.. they all start off as Young Guns… but towards the end they are living in the back storage area eating cat food and dog treats to survive… bitter, lonely and constantly re-hashing and damning the day they decided to open a comic shop.
Old School shop is my favorite kinda comic place.
Good video man. Yeah I have been to 5 type stores 😂and the one that's a dump i went to was the owner himself just sitting behind counter while watching movies lol and jerk cause he wouldn't even know much of comics nor would he ask if needed help and his coworker being asleep on chair etc. I for years have been going to Fourth World Comics and the whole team knows me and are very friendly and know there's stuff. But definitely good video
Give me a dump next to a danish shop!
Hilarious! You forgot to mention that the old school owner is schooled in the way of Jedi mind tricks and is clever enough to get one to pay way too much.
Then there's The Warehouse. Far as I know, there's literally one. Mile Hi Comics. Like nothing on planet earth.
My only local shop is inside the mall and while they have tons of selection when it comes to back issues they have the problem of having everything unorganized. You could be looking through a long box and find an issue of teen titans then behind it is some random issue of spiderman followed by issues of old g.i Joe comics 😂. That isn’t even the biggest issue though.
They seem to have a bias specifically toward marvel. 90% of the keys and slabs they have are marvel and even when they get new releases it is all marvel with maybe 1-2 issue of random dc, or indie brands. Not to mention they charge $10 per new issue.
The biggest praise I give them
Tho is they do cover price for pretty much any back issue you find. Some will have prices but most don’t so if you dig really well you’ll find some great issues for $1-$3
Man those worker pics 😂
I’ve been to the dump/old school and that’s got to be the worst combinetion
2nd place kills me 😂
KONY 2012 LOL
Only one that got that joke thank you
I got some of my best comics out of "THE DUMP", yeah, the place is unorganized, the owner is all over the place and not the neatest looking guy. My dump was an old comic shop on 14th street in Manhattan (I forgot the name).
I would always get a stack of gem back issues, I would buy so many books that he wouldn't even look thru all the books...he would just cut me a deal...I loved it, I would expect to pay 90 or 100bucks and he would say 60...LOL
I miss my dump (it did smell stale in there)
1 memory I have is, the behind the counter books (the high price back issues) were all ruined because he had a big window and all the behind the counter books had sun damage...I probably could have got a great deal but I left them alone
It's sad to hear of all these comic shop owners having constant back issues. Bend at the knees my friends!
Haven’t been to the “coffee shop comic store”. Been to all the others. Young guns. All recent books and recent back issues. Along with 1:100 and few old comics etc. Dump. Everything from all comic eras. All over the place in not order. Spec shop. Part of the shop is closed off for spec pricing of books.
One antique mall charges $14-16.00 Canadian for each book mostly 90s dc.
1) The Coffee and Danish Shop, near me is Redlands A Shop Called Quest.
@@richardolney1822 I go to 4 Color Fantasies in Rancho. I only go to Quest if im in the area.
You forgot one thing about the burger joints.
The fries are always served in metal cups for some reason!
My comic shop is a mixture of the Coffee & Danish shop (due to everything being MSRP or higher and filled with absolutes, omnibus and tpbs), the Young Gunner (it’s in a strip mall, has 4 TVs playing Marvel or Star Wars movies, sells online, has a terrible selection of back issues and probably has high rent so they don’t wheel and deal), and The Old School (because the owner is 80% dick and thinks he’s the shit, but hidden behind a “God Bless You” after each visit).
I like Dumps & Old School comic shops but I'm 58yrs old😂😂😂.
Badass Shirt man!!!
Another one they sell cds records posters toy’s magazines and apparently it’s been the same someone told m for the last fifty years.
Damn this video is spot on