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The vibe at our local comic shop changed a lot in the last year
I've been going to Heroes' Haven in Portland for about five years, and the crowd used to be mostly older guys talking about back issues. Now, after the big Marvel movies this year, it's packed with new people asking about character origins and buying graphic novels. The owner said sales of collected editions are up almost 40% from last year. Has anyone else seen their usual shop get a whole new kind of fan?
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the_robin2mo ago
So the new crowd is buying graphic novels... but are they actually reading them, or just buying them as movie merch? I've seen people grab a trade paperback just because they liked the character on screen, then never crack it open. Does the owner think these new sales will last, or is it just a temporary thing?
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juliawalker6d ago
You asking if people actually read the books they buy? Yeah, I've been through this. The movie crowd buys a trade, lets it sit on a shelf. They're collecting more than reading. But here's the thing - some of them do pick it up later. Maybe 20 percent get hooked and start buying the actual runs. The owner needs to make sure there's staff on hand to talk to those new people. If a cashier just rings them up without a word, that's a lost sale. Smart shops use this as a way to build long-term customers.
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