Burglars hit World’s Best Comics & Toys, in Sacramento, CA, for the second time in two weeks on May 3, and owner David Downey posted on the store’s Facebook that the security cameras showed the same person both times. The stolen items were similar as well: Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG cards and Transformers toys. Downey has installed a new security gate, and CSI collected blood samples (the thief cut himself on the broken glass) and fingerprints. Two days later, Downey posted again on Facebook to say that the store had a record high turnout for Free Comic Book Day, thanks to the media attention to the burglaries. “Nearly EVERYONE who came through voiced their support for the store, and backed that up with purchases all day long that resulted in the absolute highest one-day total for World’s Best Comics EVER!” Downey posted. “I’m honestly choked up and grateful, I swear this store has the absolute best customers in the world!”
Jason Benner, the new owner of Splash Pages in Billings, MT, is already familiar with the store: He has been shopping there for 30 years. When previous owner Scott Phelps decided to move on, he sold the store to his longtime customer. Manager Kyndra Millar is also a longtime shopper who told local news station KTVQ that she regards Phelps as a father figure.“I don’t have children, but I used to joke that I have hundreds of kids,” Phelps told the TV station. “Some of the kids came in when we were first here – they’re 40 now.” And that’s who’s running the store.
Titusville Tabletop Games Store in Titusville, NJ, held its grand opening the first weekend in May, and owner Robert Thompson plans to make it a cozy space with a great atmosphere “where you can play your new, favorite game with some great friends you’ve just met,” he told Mercer Me. The store will offer a large selection of board games, and Thompson envisions it as a social space as well as a store. “We have an in-house game library which you are welcome to browse, pick a game, grab an empty table, and sit down to play,” he said. “We can help you set it up, and we can teach you how to play. Need another player or four? We can help you with that, too.”
Tony Grove, owner of Tony’s Kingdom of Comics in Keizer, OR, is calling it quits after 17 years and two locations; he has sold the business to a new owner and will step down on June 1. Grove told the Keizer Times that he was proudest of the many charity events the store has held over the years, and he stayed true to that ideal till the end, with a Free Comic Book Day event that offered extra comics to customers who brought donations of food for the local food bank.
The Williamsburg, VA, game store Tap ‘N Roll, which opened in December 2022, is moving to a larger location, WY Daily reports. The larger space will allow them to host larger events, such as the 32-person Lorcana Set Championship it recently held, and they plan to expand their Play! Pokemon League as well.“We wanted to create a space where gamers could come together to share their love of gaming and build lasting connections,” said co-owner Katherine Bass.
Justin Behrens, co-owner with his wife Lisa of Comic Cove in State College, PA, is a man with a mission: To make comics accessible for everyone. “Alan Moore is one of my favorite writers in comics,” Behrens told StateCollege.com, “and he made a comment in an interview one time that comic books are no longer for the middle class; they’re for the rich because the prices are going so high. So I want to get them back in the hands of the middle class.” The store, which opened on April 20, carries old and new comics as well as Pokemon TCGand Magic: The Gathering cards.
Short Takes
The family-owned comic shop Comic Relief, in San Marcos, TX, celebrated 35 years in business on May 1, according to Community Impact.
The Provo, UT, game store We Geek Together recentlyheld a Dungeons & Dragons game with over 1,000 players, which they told ABC4 set a new record.
Travel Portland offers a guide to the best game stores in Portland, OR.
Brick City & Games of The Dalles, OR, recently became an officially sanctioned Magic: The Gathering store and will be holding free Friday game nights, CCCNews reports.
Source: ICV2
