If I can make a suggestion, consider making a community post (or video) that highlights all the indie + small press friendly shops after you post part 2. I think a lot of indie creators and myself would appreciate that as it can be difficult to know what shops are open to indies or not. I remember going around Metro Detroit in 2016 and struggling with a number of shops that were not indie friendly at all. After going around to all the shops, I feel you have a better idea than anyone now where creators could focus their efforts. Also, based on your digging into back issues and bargain bins, how diversified were shops overall (for part one) versus "big two" shops? Lastly, if you're still Michigan based, consider reaching out. Would be fun to connect with more Michigan based comic enthusiasts.
Also, Fanfare definitely hits my bank account hard whenever I go because it's difficult not to dig in their dollar and 50 cent bins without coming out with a pile. I appreciate a good dollar and under bin, especially ones that have a good variety and not just a bunch of Valiant or DC books, no offense.
@@EasterlyArtthat’s a good idea; I’ve found that show outside detroit are generally more enthusiastic about the hobby, but have a harder time maintaining the kind of customer base that would support indie creators. There are exceptions of course, but so far it seems like the Vault of Midnight chain does the most to champion local artists. Rabbit hole, secret crisis, and comic signal come to mind as very indie-friendly, too
Dude... YOU ARE A LEGEND FOR DOING THIS! This video is hands down one of my favorite videos in all of comictube. I can't imagine the effort it must've taken to drive around the state just to record this, as well as the amount of editing and planning it took to produce the video itself. It was so fun taking a look at the comic shops in Michigan, even though I'll probably never go to any of them since I live halfway across the world. Can't wait for the next one!
hands down Comic Signal is one of my favorite shops around, The Selection of new comics and back issues is unparalleled. I drive 1.5 hrs to go here, always worth it
@@daglemjI also live within walking distance. I go there once in a while but every time I go it just feels like it’s the first time I go every time I go.
Hey Don! 3 years ago you got me started on my comics journey by recommending Batman: Year One and Ultimate Spider-Man. Those recommendations helped me fall in love with comics and I've never looked back. Keep up the amazing work!! Comic Signal will always be a 10/10 for me
We are spoiled in Kalamazoo. I’ve been going to Fanfare for 25 years now and they always impress me. To be fair the back issues move very quickly, if you don’t jump on something quick it’s gone the next week guaranteed. Plus they have the best customer service in Kzoo regardless of business type, they are excellent. Rocket is newer but also good, really good, fuckin awesome actually. They prioritize toys over comics but they know their shit and have the books to back it up. Wish I got in there more. Talk to Eddie, interesting cat, likes to make deals. They also have good customer service, very helpful.
When I first started collecting graphic novels in freshman year at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, I hopped on a bus and then walked a few miles to Vault of Midnight GR. I was unbelievably disappointed in how expensive everything was.... You described them PERFECTLY, a bunch of friends at Wayne state live and die by Vault of Midnight in Detroit. It attracts those newbies willing to pay that extra to jump on the craze.
I totally agree on the debating at the store. I had a friend ask why I just didn't get my books of Amazon. Then they went with me... and we hung out for an hour shooting it with other customers and the owner. The response was I get it now.
Thanks for giving my boy Carter a shout out and such a great score for the Perfect Storm West location in apaw Paw. He's such a great guy and I was so happy for him when he got to expand and open that second location.
Man this takes me back, I grew up just a couple miles from Comic Relief and the big Spider-Man sign on Fenton road blew my mind as a kid lol. I've still got my little pile of old Spider-Man comics I got from there about 25 years ago 😎 good times! Keep up the awesome work! It's always good to see a fellow Michigander making content 😀
I have been going to Comic Relief for years and let me say you definitely came in on an off day for community involvement. There has been numerous times where customers would spend HOURS just hanging out playing board games or TCG. Lou is a great guy and runs a great shop.
This!! My Dad and I have been going since I was a kid. It's a great place to go for Comics and more. Lou has become a friend to us over the years. I definitely recommend it.
Third this comment! Lou is great shop owner and really takes care of his clientele. He always has events for Magic and Pokemon going on in the shop as well, just probably nothing going on that day!
HEY my dad owns both of those perfect storm stores I helped with both of them and it was really nice to see them on this channel also our dog willow really appreciated this!!
42:30 lansing college town is in east lansing for MSU. The place you visited was by a community college and there isnt really a lot of foot traffic at all around there. Love the video 😁
spot on, capitol area is pretty dead (though summit reliably seems to have customers). rip hollow mountain, one of my favorite spots in the el downtown. honestly i was pretty bummed at how the lansing area was such a minor blip in this odyssey but lots of other lcs i love got their flowers
Tardy's collectors corner is the shop I go to all the time, the staff are super friendly and really good at recommendations if you dont have a good grasp of comics. Happy to see them score so high!
I grew up in Flint, MI. Amazing Bookstore was my LCS for decades. I probably started going there in the 1980s, and am beyond pleased to see it still exists and is going strong. Comic Relief was the elite comic shop, IMO, where they had all the cool stuff, but I couldn't go there that often growing up. It was like the place I went to find the fancy stuff.
This last year I had a chance to go to Grand Rapids. Vault of Midnight was AMAZING! The fact I was there during JAFAX (Japanese Anime Film and Art eXpo) made it even better. Tardy's was great, they were experiencing some HVAC issues while I was there, but remained cool headed and were friendly. I found some grail issues there, and if I wasn't flying back to GA (with limited bag space) I would have bought even more. Argo's was also a treat. This trip I got to go to the oldest comic shop in MI (this place) and the second oldest (Tardy's). At least, that was what the owner told me. Finally, I went to Lange's and WOW if I could be a kid again that would have been a destination place to shop for comics.
Tardys has been my favorite shop since I was a prepubescent and Im half ancient now. Comic Signal is killing it. Outer Limits is now closed. Thanks for coming to GR.
Fanfare in Kalamazoo is friggen dope. been going there since I was about 12 years old, I’m now almost 22! They’ve done nothing but grow over the years, and gain more customers it seems. They deserve all the attention they get.
I live in Hartford Michigan and am an avid collector of comics… and seeing that my local shop is #2 on your list with a 28 …. Makes me proud to know my local shop is one of the best in the state when my town is so small
Hey Kurt, I subscribed to the channel about a month ago and have seen 4 or 5 videos. Love your passion and presentation style. But this video...this was an insane amount of work. The length of the video was a little daunting at first, but I had a lot of fun and never felt like tuning out. And I watched the whooooole thing! Exceptional video, thanks!
Thanks for putting the time in and finding all these shops! I always thought there was a lot less shops than this in Michigan! My Dad used to own a comic book store that sadly shutdown, so it's always good to see more of these pop up.
Somehow I stumbled onto your video…. Reminds me a lot of my youth some 60 years ago. We didn’t have “comic shops” most comics we purchased in drug stores or in some grocery stores. When I was around 12 I discovered an old book store. The back wall of the store from wall to wall and floor to ceiling was magazines and comics. My first purchases were everything Harvey Kurtzman including the back issues of Mad comics that preceded Mad Magazine. My real interest was “war comics” and the store had hundreds of them. My buddies and I used to bus ride downtown. My friends usually went to movies while I went to the book store. They would come get me and my bundle of purchases for the bus ride home.
This is invaluable thank you so much! I love looking for more remote stores too because of the weird treasures one can find in there. It was a fun scavenger hunt for me when I was trying to finish up my collection of Poison Elves. For someone else ya know maybe it's finding old issues of Sgt. Rock or Fish Police. I'm not here to judge but it's cool to see who has what kind of media out there and nice to turn those places into the destination while traveling.
This was a great video, especially seeing Flint/Burton stores first. It does also remind me of all the comic and gaming stores that are gone, like BC Comics in Fenton.
We are so spoiled in South West Michigan as we have some of the best comic shops around. With Fanfare, Rocket Comics and Perfect Storm within good range. Such a great job and allowing us to walk through all of these amazing shops. I appreciated your detailed reports on each, as comic lovers we are excited to visit some of the other stores in our area we were not aware of until your video. I know it is hard work doing these and I appreciate your hard work. We look froward to more from you. Thank you!
Amazing Book Store has been my goto shop for years. I had made passing comments about wanting to collect some Turok books, which they did not have out at the time. The following week I walked in and they had a stack available for me ready to go. If you talk with the employees they can find thigns for you.
So as someone who goes to Summit every Wednesday and who had several other Lansing stores I was a regular at close on him, I want to say: Summit is literally the best shop I've had the privilege of having a pull list at, at least in Lansing. I know the back issue bins seem a little sparse compared to some of the other shops, bit they refill the emptied out dollar bins every week with around a long box or more of stuff, and they put out about a shortbox a week of individually priced back issues in the priced section (look for the new this week tab). I don't think prices or too bad either (I'm usually leaving the place every Wednesday with at least a 4 inch stack of combined dollar and priced books for less than $30). They do have a back room for regular gaming sessions, but I believe they're in the midst of trying to renovate it/clean it up but right now it's not available to the public last I talked with the staff there. In regards to other community involvement stuff, they also have a section hosting art from local artists, and they always get a ton of people on free comic book day, with several comic-con style set of tent covered booths/tables for local artists and creators to share their stuff with customers (plus they encourage cosplaying for the thing, with several employees taking part). As far as new issues, I think they try to carry at least one copy of everything the publisher carry, from Marvel and DC to Image, Boom, IDW, Antarctic, etc. on the shelves but regardless, if you add it to your pull, they WILL get a copy for you (and your pull is actually really easy to update now, ever since they added the option to set up a League of Comic Geeks account you can sync with the store - now whenever the new solicitations come out, I just bring up the app on my phone and add all the new stuff I want to my pull as I flip through the solicits books). They also have annual sales - Stan Lee's birthday, May 4th, and a few others I'm forgetting, plus they periodically do these "house cleaning" sales where they fill up the gaming room in the back with stuff from their storage space and things from their sister location in Fort Wayne (lots of back issues, lots of trades, lots of gaming stuff, statues/figures, etc all MASSIVELY discounted). They also just recently implemented a tiered permanent discount on trades and hardcovers based on price, which is pretty sweet. And the staff is literally the best I've ever met (some of the most underpaid and overworked people I've ever met). My pull list (and a sizable one at that) has never had a mistake in the 4 years I've been going there. The only time something has been missing is if the distributor or one of the owners (who live in Indiana) messed up an order, and the rare time it happens they let me know as well as making sure I eventually get my copy. And if you're a regular, they'll keep an eye out for stuff they think you'd be interested in (they always give me a heads up on Superman, Marvel Cosmic, 90s DC and Spiderman stuff they put in the dollar and priced back issue bins since that's what I'm looking for most of the time, once Alexis found out I obsessively collect the McFarlane toys Super Powers retro figures, they make sure to let me know the second I step in the door whenever the new waves are on the shelves). Seriously, they are some of the nicest, friendliest, funniest, most helpful comic shop people I've ever met. The place is the Olive Garden of comic shops - when you're there, you feel like family. If it sounds like I'm shilling for Summit, it's cuz I am - I genuinely love that place (I wear a Summit t-shirt to work once a week and recommend it to all my nerdier coworkers when we talk comics, manga, etc) and I just wanted to do my part to let people know it's definitely better than the Vault of Midnight comparison that was made.
Out of all the shops in the video, I think Summit has received the most positive comments from customers. Scores will be adjusted to reflect this outpouring of support, thank you for your help!
@@KurtWilliamsReviews no problem! I just wanted to make sure the staff got shouted out for the most part, they're by far the biggest factor in why people keep coming back. I understand yhe ranking system and while I was watching I was like, "Yeah, I can see why that store got a 5 there and Summit didn't," etc but I think I speak for all the Summit regulars when I say the gut reaction to seeing that 20/30 was "what?! That's, like, 20 points too low!" And that's due entirely to the awesome people who work there, they will move heaven and earth to get you what you're looking for. Plus, I figured some of the rankings for the store I thought were a little low were probably because you didn't have a lot of time to visit the place - you had to hit EVERY shop in Michigan after all, which is a pretty impressive feat on its own, major props my dude for even trying, I would have been broke after 3 stores if I had tried to do it 😆
@@KurtWilliamsReviews It is my second favorite store in Lansing, but my favorite is a board game/war game/rpg store with little to no comics (Hoplite is amazing but mostly due to staff)
I remember going to Alpena every summer as a kid and Bob's bullpen had 2 bit operation tee shirts I remember 2 bit operation used to be a acarde in the mall Grandpa would always take me to the acarde then Jennie sweet shop very cool miss you Grandpa
I are a michigan alsoo. you're video makes me feel like famous. thanks for the feels bruh. my fav part was when you said the store i like. the store i like is named perfect storm, because everything comes together to make the perfect storm at the perfect storm. especially the comic books heroes and the back you can play yatzee. bathroom smells like aunt berty's cat though. if you ever are in the town again, hit me up and bring your fav yatzee cup. the guys at perfect storm call me the yatzee not see. because im really good at rememerin the rules.
Glad you got to see Discount Hobby! Been going there since I was a kid, Steve is an absolute gem of a human being, and I love that little hole in the wall!
Tardys is my go to shop!!!! The owner Gavin is always so friendly and that shop always has so many great finds. They also have a really cool "rewards" program which gets you $25 off when you fill a punch card. A must stop shop in my opinion!!!!
Comic Relief in Flint has a lot of nights where they push some stuff over and have magic the gathering tournaments/board game days. I used to live across the street from it. I now live by Summit in Lansing, and it's my go-to spot for everything. They also do game nights in the back area and do a lot of bargain sales where they pull a bunch of stuff and make it 50% off.
I loved hearing you give good remarks to some of the local comic shops I am near in the Kzoo area. I learned about some new comic shops as well that I will have to check out. Love the video, thank you!
@@KurtWilliamsReviews you did great! I have the same issue myself whenever I film myself on camera as well for @DeltaCollegiate. It's all about just letting go and having fun in the moment
I live right down the street from Rebels Sanctuary. Greg n his Dad are great. I painted heroes on flat stones from the beach for him. Just say thanks for being there in a little town.
Didn't see my LCS here, but you definitely went to a lot of great shops! I go to Grand Rapids occasionally to visit family, so I'll have to check out some of those locations next time I'm there! 46:18 They have a little Flash section?? Oh I love that shop already. ...and looking closely, they have a few trades I need. My wallet would be in DANGER lmaoo
This is awesome! I just moved to Michigan in the last month, now living in Manistee, so knowing the local comic shop (which I have yet to visit) is so new but so nice definitely encourages me to support it despite only passively being into comics. This also gives me lots of new places to visit as I get to know the state! Thanks for such an awesome video
Awesome video, from Lansing and Summit is my local shop (Also Evolution Games but they are 40K and card game focused not comics). To add a little on summit. One thing that isn't really advertised is they do have a back room for games. Specifically 2 a month there is a game night/Saturday a local has been running for decades now. Also Summit expanded in size recently. Shop used to be literally half the size (only the board game side now) but took over the location next to them. Which has made the store so much better specifically allowing them to expand their board game and tabletop presence. Which has always been there but now really has space. And if you are a local they have an amazing board game club that is 100% free. Every 5th game you buy you get that average of the previous 4 off. Which has been a awesome deal. But yeah sadly there used to be more comic shops and board game stores specifically in East Lansing but in the last 10-15 years many have closed. Though we have gotten a few new stores again (specifically board game) but in Lansing. It also seems like a comic stores will try and pop up every couple years but usually struggles to last more than 1-2.
Oh man! I've been out of the scene for some time now, but Coy's used to be my primary spot for Magic the Gathering. They've moved a few times around town, I think they're currently on their third location. Their original building in Old Town had a really homey feel, and participating in their more casual Magic tournaments was a lot of fun. They're definitely too big though these days to occupy that spot. Coy's has really come a long way.
Great work on this video, man. Tons of work and travel here. Also, gotta shout out to all of the shops for being brave enough to even start a business in the first place and to stay in business! It’s difficult work. Good luck to them all!!!
Secret Crisis is my local!! We play there every thursday night for Star Wars Unlimited. Owner and all employees are top notch as well as the patrons! Can't say enough good things about this store!
Galaxy Comics was where I was 10ish years ago when the owner was pitching to my friends and I some 50 cent comics, one being an old X-Men that lost its cover, but none of us really read them at the time so there wasnt much interest. A few minutes later he realizes "Wait a minute... I think this is X-Men #1" and it turned out it was, in fact, #1 missing the cover. He goes "Ope, price on this just went up a bit" as he takes it to the back room. Was a pretty good laugh all around.
Fun video. A few of my hometown shops! You did miss (and likely were only about 10 minutes from it based on your visits) a great shop in Midland. Modern Explorers Guild. Full new comics weekly, pulls, large wall. Back issues, dollar books, graded books. Perhaps the name is resulted in you missing it. Nice owners as well.
Ah, thank you! I probably skipped them because they look like a game store. Even on their website, I can’t find anything about comics. I’ll reach out, thanks for letting me know!
Wow! Just stumbled onto your channel and subscribed! Excellent work on venturing out the different comic book stores around the state! Must have been awesome and tiresome at the sane time! Looking forward to more videos! This will definitely help me when I visit! Thanks for sharing !! God bless!
Thanks for doing this! What a cool way to see all the comic shops in my State. I personally love Vault of Midnight GR because I am not to interested in old comics and am always looking for new stories. So I was disappointed they got as low of score as they did. But I appreciate that you note you may be a little biased on it, and I can tell you enjoy the classic sense of the idea of a comic shop.
I live right down the road from Top Comics, been going there for years and years. They’re awesome! I also really love Lange’s downstate, huge huge store
Carter from Perfect Storm is a legend in SW Michigan. I played Magic at Fanfare with him for years. He's a super nice guy and his community involvement since taking his position at Perfect Storm has been amazing. Thanks for shouting out the comic scene in Kalamazoo and the surrounding area.
Great video, I hope to check some of these stores out as I travel. I do think the score Summit got was a little unfair, there is a game room in the back and they do a lot of community building (I am a customer not an owner, just trying to stand up for them), I think as one of the only major stores in the Lansing area they try to do a lot to get people in the store, and may not do what the smaller stores do. There is also Comix Crossing in Mason, MI near Lansing if you look for more stores.
Thank you for telling me, that’s all good to know! If there’s a game room, that at least bumps them up to 4 points in community involvement. I didn’t know about comix crossing; they don’t show up on either of the maps apps. I’ll reach out to them, thanks for letting me know!
Shout out Jackson !!! so weird seeing a shop right down the street from my house in this tiny town being in a video with so many views and supporters !
Thank you so much for stopping in and the kind review! Great video. P.s Comic Culture in Mt pleasant back issues are all now $1!! -Joe from Comic Culture
Thank you again so so much for visiting our shop! (Bob's Bullpen) I wish you had been able to see our Comic Book Blind boxes! A hefty stack of comics (no doubles but had a good mix of popular and less well known characters) we ran thru a wall full of long boxes in just a few months with the blind boxes 😁😁😁 hopefully next time you visit we can have one for you!
Wow. Nice video. Thorough and comprehensive. I’m a former Michigander born and raised but mostly familiar with comic shops in Metro Detroit. There were a couple featured here on the west side of the state that I would love to visit. Looking forward to part 2. Just subscribed.
I went into Goldmine in Wyoming on a few occasions, and I was always ignored. No employee said hello or asked if I was looking for anything in particular. The store never had any customers when I was in there too, and the employees were talking amongst themselves (every visit I made was pre-COVID too). On the other hand, the Comic Signal owner is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. You want to support that place and see them thrive because they're doing it completely right.
Seems like you may have missed some of Summit in Lansing? They have half the store for games, and a back room of discount bins (not always available) and massive sale events throughout the year. Community involvement is pretty decent compared to the other stores we've had near her in the past.
Summit in Lansing is my local. They have events and things but most are independent groups that get hosted there so you have to follow the groups to know when things happen also the gaming room is in the back what would be an old storage room for a different type of store about 10 tables or so. This place is the best for tabletop gaming. There is other comic/gaming in Lansing area but not as big. One is close to the campus.
i actually live just down the road from Comic Relief, and i gotta say, as much as the place holds a special place in my heart, i feel it doesn't live up to it's former glory. i recall warm summer friday evenings, taking my $10 to the shop to play friday night magic and the place was always bustling. great shop, great people.
Such an awesome video. Mike at Top comics is my guy and I’ve been shopping there for almost 20yrs, use to help Mike out with his shop for a few years, putting away books every Wed with a group of guys and Mike also is the godfather of the Cherry Capital Comic Con that’s been going on for over a decade, that can bump him up to a 5 in community :p
I was just thinking about where have you been while i was ordering new comics. Glad to see you back! Didn’t know about your ongoing battle. Stay strong ❤ all love
Dude Michiganders strong. Shouts our Vault of Midnight. You should have seen vault in Ann Arbor before it was in the current location. Use to be a basement store. The people who own it are huge in the community. They support everything important. The owners also push for kids being able to be them true selves since I was a small lad
I drive all over Southwest Michigan for work. I'm always looking for the next shop to stop at. You did a really good job giving some of the little guys just as much credit as the big guys. Rabbit Hole in Hartford is a very easy miss but it has a lot of great content. I do think Rocket Comics in Kzoo focuses more on being a figure shop, but their card selection is growing nice now too. This was a super cool vid man. Congrats on putting something so comprehensive together and editing it down to something simple and efficient for everyone.
Langes in Muskegon has always been a bit more limited in its new title selection, even over 10 years ago when I was going really regularly. But they are always willing to help put in custom orders if they are missing something. They also used to (and maybe not anymore) host card games and were always willing to give out table space if you wanted to set up an RPG campaign. Not sure how all of that stuff is now, but it's basically one of the only drivers of sales (it seems) in that entire mall, so glad to see they're doing good.
As a Michigander, I really appreciate this a lot! Looking forward to part 2.
If I can make a suggestion, consider making a community post (or video) that highlights all the indie + small press friendly shops after you post part 2. I think a lot of indie creators and myself would appreciate that as it can be difficult to know what shops are open to indies or not. I remember going around Metro Detroit in 2016 and struggling with a number of shops that were not indie friendly at all. After going around to all the shops, I feel you have a better idea than anyone now where creators could focus their efforts.
Also, based on your digging into back issues and bargain bins, how diversified were shops overall (for part one) versus "big two" shops?
Lastly, if you're still Michigan based, consider reaching out. Would be fun to connect with more Michigan based comic enthusiasts.
Also, Fanfare definitely hits my bank account hard whenever I go because it's difficult not to dig in their dollar and 50 cent bins without coming out with a pile. I appreciate a good dollar and under bin, especially ones that have a good variety and not just a bunch of Valiant or DC books, no offense.
@@EasterlyArtthat’s a good idea; I’ve found that show outside detroit are generally more enthusiastic about the hobby, but have a harder time maintaining the kind of customer base that would support indie creators. There are exceptions of course, but so far it seems like the Vault of Midnight chain does the most to champion local artists. Rabbit hole, secret crisis, and comic signal come to mind as very indie-friendly, too
Dude... YOU ARE A LEGEND FOR DOING THIS! This video is hands down one of my favorite videos in all of comictube. I can't imagine the effort it must've taken to drive around the state just to record this, as well as the amount of editing and planning it took to produce the video itself. It was so fun taking a look at the comic shops in Michigan, even though I'll probably never go to any of them since I live halfway across the world. Can't wait for the next one!
Thank you so much! Yeah it was a TON of work, but even the tedious parts were kinda fun 👌
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yeah but have you seen my comment? go read it. ignore the parts about deleting. i havent even learned that part of the internet yet.
Thank you very much for the kind words! It was nice meeting you! Thanx, Don
hands down Comic Signal is one of my favorite shops around, The Selection of new comics and back issues is unparalleled. I drive 1.5 hrs to go here, always worth it
@@regalt1987 I live within walking distance and now I'm a bit ashamed I've never been in.
@@daglemjI also live within walking distance. I go there once in a while but every time I go it just feels like it’s the first time I go every time I go.
Hey Don! 3 years ago you got me started on my comics journey by recommending Batman: Year One and Ultimate Spider-Man. Those recommendations helped me fall in love with comics and I've never looked back. Keep up the amazing work!! Comic Signal will always be a 10/10 for me
Love going there a few times a year especially for that annual nerd flea market
Galaxy and Coy's, I was so happy to see these here. Thanks for making this!
Same bro
It's always cool seeing any home area shops that you've grown up going to.
Your description of Vault of Midnight is absolutely spot on
I’m glad at least one person thinks I’m not just a grouch lol
It’s the Globo Gym of comic shops.
We are spoiled in Kalamazoo. I’ve been going to Fanfare for 25 years now and they always impress me. To be fair the back issues move very quickly, if you don’t jump on something quick it’s gone the next week guaranteed. Plus they have the best customer service in Kzoo regardless of business type, they are excellent.
Rocket is newer but also good, really good, fuckin awesome actually. They prioritize toys over comics but they know their shit and have the books to back it up. Wish I got in there more. Talk to Eddie, interesting cat, likes to make deals. They also have good customer service, very helpful.
When I first started collecting graphic novels in freshman year at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, I hopped on a bus and then walked a few miles to Vault of Midnight GR. I was unbelievably disappointed in how expensive everything was....
You described them PERFECTLY, a bunch of friends at Wayne state live and die by Vault of Midnight in Detroit. It attracts those newbies willing to pay that extra to jump on the craze.
I totally agree on the debating at the store. I had a friend ask why I just didn't get my books of Amazon. Then they went with me... and we hung out for an hour shooting it with other customers and the owner.
The response was I get it now.
As a Grand Rapidian, it makes my heart happy to see Comic Signal get the recognition it deserves!
Dude I wish I lived in Grand Rapids so that could be my LCS
I like our gr comic shops
The amount of effort you put into this video is incredible
I forgot to mention in this video that I got my wisdom teeth out the day before I started visiting shops lol
@@KurtWilliamsReviewsI was in the comicbook shop where I had my pull box at the day I had all my wisdom teeth taken out.
Thanks for giving my boy Carter a shout out and such a great score for the Perfect Storm West location in apaw Paw. He's such a great guy and I was so happy for him when he got to expand and open that second location.
Thanks for visiting Fanfare! They're so proud of the new building
Man this takes me back, I grew up just a couple miles from Comic Relief and the big Spider-Man sign on Fenton road blew my mind as a kid lol.
I've still got my little pile of old Spider-Man comics I got from there about 25 years ago 😎 good times!
Keep up the awesome work! It's always good to see a fellow Michigander making content 😀
I have been going to Comic Relief for years and let me say you definitely came in on an off day for community involvement. There has been numerous times where customers would spend HOURS just hanging out playing board games or TCG. Lou is a great guy and runs a great shop.
This!! My Dad and I have been going since I was a kid. It's a great place to go for Comics and more. Lou has become a friend to us over the years. I definitely recommend it.
Third this comment! Lou is great shop owner and really takes care of his clientele. He always has events for Magic and Pokemon going on in the shop as well, just probably nothing going on that day!
HEY my dad owns both of those perfect storm stores I helped with both of them and it was really nice to see them on this channel also our dog willow really appreciated this!!
That’s awesome! Is that his massive G.I. Joe diorama at the paw paw location?
@@KurtWilliamsReviewsyeah me and him made it together we both love gi joes
Galaxy and Cashman's comics were my stores growing in the 2000s happy to see they're still going strong.
42:30 lansing college town is in east lansing for MSU. The place you visited was by a community college and there isnt really a lot of foot traffic at all around there. Love the video 😁
spot on, capitol area is pretty dead (though summit reliably seems to have customers). rip hollow mountain, one of my favorite spots in the el downtown. honestly i was pretty bummed at how the lansing area was such a minor blip in this odyssey but lots of other lcs i love got their flowers
Bro. I shit when my 2 shops came up 1st and 2nd. Surprised you didn't mention the cats at Amazing Bookstore. This is an amazing video. Fantastic work!
Thanks so much! Amazing bookstore in flint, right? We got them!
Tardy's collectors corner is the shop I go to all the time, the staff are super friendly and really good at recommendations if you dont have a good grasp of comics. Happy to see them score so high!
Tardy's is also my main comic store where I have my pull list.
As someone who rarely travels the state solely looking for comic shops...this video was great. Now I know where to stop on my next vacations!
Absolutely awesome video man. I JUST moved to Muskegon from PA and i'm 100% taking a trip to Lang's shop now!
Thanks for video- as the owner of Rabbit Hole Comics in Hartford -- it is great to see some of our fellow comic book shops and how they do things.
I grew up in Flint, MI. Amazing Bookstore was my LCS for decades. I probably started going there in the 1980s, and am beyond pleased to see it still exists and is going strong.
Comic Relief was the elite comic shop, IMO, where they had all the cool stuff, but I couldn't go there that often growing up. It was like the place I went to find the fancy stuff.
This last year I had a chance to go to Grand Rapids.
Vault of Midnight was AMAZING! The fact I was there during JAFAX (Japanese Anime Film and Art eXpo) made it even better.
Tardy's was great, they were experiencing some HVAC issues while I was there, but remained cool headed and were friendly. I found some grail issues there, and if I wasn't flying back to GA (with limited bag space) I would have bought even more.
Argo's was also a treat. This trip I got to go to the oldest comic shop in MI (this place) and the second oldest (Tardy's). At least, that was what the owner told me.
Finally, I went to Lange's and WOW if I could be a kid again that would have been a destination place to shop for comics.
Great video, Kurt. Very cool to see so many shop in one video. I still can't believed you hit snow in June!
Thank you! That footage was actually from March, lol
Tardys has been my favorite shop since I was a prepubescent and Im half ancient now. Comic Signal is killing it. Outer Limits is now closed. Thanks for coming to GR.
Fanfare in Kalamazoo is friggen dope.
been going there since I was about 12 years old, I’m now almost 22!
They’ve done nothing but grow over the years, and gain more customers it seems. They deserve all the attention they get.
I live in Hartford Michigan and am an avid collector of comics… and seeing that my local shop is #2 on your list with a 28 …. Makes me proud to know my local shop is one of the best in the state when my town is so small
Hey Kurt, I subscribed to the channel about a month ago and have seen 4 or 5 videos. Love your passion and presentation style. But this video...this was an insane amount of work. The length of the video was a little daunting at first, but I had a lot of fun and never felt like tuning out. And I watched the whooooole thing! Exceptional video, thanks!
Thanks for sticking with it! I bet less than 10 people will do that lol
Thanks for putting the time in and finding all these shops! I always thought there was a lot less shops than this in Michigan! My Dad used to own a comic book store that sadly shutdown, so it's always good to see more of these pop up.
Nostalgia Ink used to be located right around the corner in a smaller space. Was my go to place as a kid for trading cards.
Just stumbled on to this series. Great series! Great production work!
Great video and I like your rating system. Very helpful overview! Glad to see some good spots around me in Grand Rapids.
Thanks so much!
Prime Time Comics and Cards - Lake Orion, Michigan.
Check em out!
I love Discount Hobby here in Battle Creek. They're organized, have an awesome selection of back issues and, Steve is fun to talk to
Somehow I stumbled onto your video…. Reminds me a lot of my youth some 60 years ago. We didn’t have “comic shops” most comics we purchased in drug stores or in some grocery stores. When I was around 12 I discovered an old book store. The back wall of the store from wall to wall and floor to ceiling was magazines and comics. My first purchases were everything Harvey Kurtzman including the back issues of Mad comics that preceded Mad Magazine. My real interest was “war comics” and the store had hundreds of them. My buddies and I used to bus ride downtown. My friends usually went to movies while I went to the book store. They would come get me and my bundle of purchases for the bus ride home.
This is invaluable thank you so much! I love looking for more remote stores too because of the weird treasures one can find in there. It was a fun scavenger hunt for me when I was trying to finish up my collection of Poison Elves. For someone else ya know maybe it's finding old issues of Sgt. Rock or Fish Police. I'm not here to judge but it's cool to see who has what kind of media out there and nice to turn those places into the destination while traveling.
This was a great video, especially seeing Flint/Burton stores first. It does also remind me of all the comic and gaming stores that are gone, like BC Comics in Fenton.
We are so spoiled in South West Michigan as we have some of the best comic shops around. With Fanfare, Rocket Comics and Perfect Storm within good range. Such a great job and allowing us to walk through all of these amazing shops. I appreciated your detailed reports on each, as comic lovers we are excited to visit some of the other stores in our area we were not aware of until your video. I know it is hard work doing these and I appreciate your hard work. We look froward to more from you. Thank you!
Amazing Book Store has been my goto shop for years.
I had made passing comments about wanting to collect some Turok books, which they did not have out at the time.
The following week I walked in and they had a stack available for me ready to go. If you talk with the employees they can find thigns for you.
They pretty much have every comic ever printed. They are all stored next door and you have to ask for them.
So as someone who goes to Summit every Wednesday and who had several other Lansing stores I was a regular at close on him, I want to say:
Summit is literally the best shop I've had the privilege of having a pull list at, at least in Lansing.
I know the back issue bins seem a little sparse compared to some of the other shops, bit they refill the emptied out dollar bins every week with around a long box or more of stuff, and they put out about a shortbox a week of individually priced back issues in the priced section (look for the new this week tab). I don't think prices or too bad either (I'm usually leaving the place every Wednesday with at least a 4 inch stack of combined dollar and priced books for less than $30).
They do have a back room for regular gaming sessions, but I believe they're in the midst of trying to renovate it/clean it up but right now it's not available to the public last I talked with the staff there. In regards to other community involvement stuff, they also have a section hosting art from local artists, and they always get a ton of people on free comic book day, with several comic-con style set of tent covered booths/tables for local artists and creators to share their stuff with customers (plus they encourage cosplaying for the thing, with several employees taking part).
As far as new issues, I think they try to carry at least one copy of everything the publisher carry, from Marvel and DC to Image, Boom, IDW, Antarctic, etc. on the shelves but regardless, if you add it to your pull, they WILL get a copy for you (and your pull is actually really easy to update now, ever since they added the option to set up a League of Comic Geeks account you can sync with the store - now whenever the new solicitations come out, I just bring up the app on my phone and add all the new stuff I want to my pull as I flip through the solicits books).
They also have annual sales - Stan Lee's birthday, May 4th, and a few others I'm forgetting, plus they periodically do these "house cleaning" sales where they fill up the gaming room in the back with stuff from their storage space and things from their sister location in Fort Wayne (lots of back issues, lots of trades, lots of gaming stuff, statues/figures, etc all MASSIVELY discounted). They also just recently implemented a tiered permanent discount on trades and hardcovers based on price, which is pretty sweet.
And the staff is literally the best I've ever met (some of the most underpaid and overworked people I've ever met). My pull list (and a sizable one at that) has never had a mistake in the 4 years I've been going there. The only time something has been missing is if the distributor or one of the owners (who live in Indiana) messed up an order, and the rare time it happens they let me know as well as making sure I eventually get my copy. And if you're a regular, they'll keep an eye out for stuff they think you'd be interested in (they always give me a heads up on Superman, Marvel Cosmic, 90s DC and Spiderman stuff they put in the dollar and priced back issue bins since that's what I'm looking for most of the time, once Alexis found out I obsessively collect the McFarlane toys Super Powers retro figures, they make sure to let me know the second I step in the door whenever the new waves are on the shelves). Seriously, they are some of the nicest, friendliest, funniest, most helpful comic shop people I've ever met. The place is the Olive Garden of comic shops - when you're there, you feel like family.
If it sounds like I'm shilling for Summit, it's cuz I am - I genuinely love that place (I wear a Summit t-shirt to work once a week and recommend it to all my nerdier coworkers when we talk comics, manga, etc) and I just wanted to do my part to let people know it's definitely better than the Vault of Midnight comparison that was made.
Out of all the shops in the video, I think Summit has received the most positive comments from customers. Scores will be adjusted to reflect this outpouring of support, thank you for your help!
@@KurtWilliamsReviews no problem! I just wanted to make sure the staff got shouted out for the most part, they're by far the biggest factor in why people keep coming back.
I understand yhe ranking system and while I was watching I was like, "Yeah, I can see why that store got a 5 there and Summit didn't," etc but I think I speak for all the Summit regulars when I say the gut reaction to seeing that 20/30 was "what?! That's, like, 20 points too low!" And that's due entirely to the awesome people who work there, they will move heaven and earth to get you what you're looking for.
Plus, I figured some of the rankings for the store I thought were a little low were probably because you didn't have a lot of time to visit the place - you had to hit EVERY shop in Michigan after all, which is a pretty impressive feat on its own, major props my dude for even trying, I would have been broke after 3 stores if I had tried to do it 😆
I played in their backroom on Saturday.
@@KurtWilliamsReviews It is my second favorite store in Lansing, but my favorite is a board game/war game/rpg store with little to no comics (Hoplite is amazing but mostly due to staff)
I remember going to Alpena every summer as a kid and Bob's bullpen had 2 bit operation tee shirts I remember 2 bit operation used to be a acarde in the mall Grandpa would always take me to the acarde then Jennie sweet shop very cool miss you Grandpa
I are a michigan alsoo. you're video makes me feel like famous. thanks for the feels bruh. my fav part was when you said the store i like. the store i like is named perfect storm, because everything comes together to make the perfect storm at the perfect storm. especially the comic books heroes and the back you can play yatzee. bathroom smells like aunt berty's cat though. if you ever are in the town again, hit me up and bring your fav yatzee cup. the guys at perfect storm call me the yatzee not see. because im really good at rememerin the rules.
ua-cam.com/video/BhS9en064yg/v-deo.html so I don't forget
delete this pls
how to delete youtube messages?
nevermind. leave it up.
figner down didnt delete it. edit button works good though.
Glad you got to see Discount Hobby! Been going there since I was a kid, Steve is an absolute gem of a human being, and I love that little hole in the wall!
Tardys is my go to shop!!!! The owner Gavin is always so friendly and that shop always has so many great finds. They also have a really cool "rewards" program which gets you $25 off when you fill a punch card. A must stop shop in my opinion!!!!
Comic Relief in Flint has a lot of nights where they push some stuff over and have magic the gathering tournaments/board game days. I used to live across the street from it.
I now live by Summit in Lansing, and it's my go-to spot for everything. They also do game nights in the back area and do a lot of bargain sales where they pull a bunch of stuff and make it 50% off.
I loved hearing you give good remarks to some of the local comic shops I am near in the Kzoo area. I learned about some new comic shops as well that I will have to check out. Love the video, thank you!
Great, I hope you enjoy the shops!
Oh my god. I drove by you filming the outside bit for Cashman's a while ago!
I was just like "dang, he's pumped for Cashmans. Hell yeah!"
Oh man that’s awesome! Nobody ever asked me what I was doing, but I felt pretty self conscious for a good chunk of thevtime
@@KurtWilliamsReviews you did great! I have the same issue myself whenever I film myself on camera as well for @DeltaCollegiate.
It's all about just letting go and having fun in the moment
I live right down the street from Rebels Sanctuary. Greg n his Dad are great. I painted heroes on flat stones from the beach for him. Just say thanks for being there in a little town.
Love Manistee. Hoosier here, I visit every year.
The aircraft carrier at 45:05 isn't homemade lol. It's a very expensive(like $2-3k) vintage GI Joe toy, the USS Flagg.
I lived above Argos as a kid. Loved that place.
Didn't see my LCS here, but you definitely went to a lot of great shops! I go to Grand Rapids occasionally to visit family, so I'll have to check out some of those locations next time I'm there!
46:18 They have a little Flash section?? Oh I love that shop already.
...and looking closely, they have a few trades I need. My wallet would be in DANGER lmaoo
This is awesome! I just moved to Michigan in the last month, now living in Manistee, so knowing the local comic shop (which I have yet to visit) is so new but so nice definitely encourages me to support it despite only passively being into comics. This also gives me lots of new places to visit as I get to know the state! Thanks for such an awesome video
Awesome video, from Lansing and Summit is my local shop (Also Evolution Games but they are 40K and card game focused not comics). To add a little on summit.
One thing that isn't really advertised is they do have a back room for games. Specifically 2 a month there is a game night/Saturday a local has been running for decades now.
Also Summit expanded in size recently. Shop used to be literally half the size (only the board game side now) but took over the location next to them. Which has made the store so much better specifically allowing them to expand their board game and tabletop presence. Which has always been there but now really has space. And if you are a local they have an amazing board game club that is 100% free. Every 5th game you buy you get that average of the previous 4 off. Which has been a awesome deal.
But yeah sadly there used to be more comic shops and board game stores specifically in East Lansing but in the last 10-15 years many have closed. Though we have gotten a few new stores again (specifically board game) but in Lansing. It also seems like a comic stores will try and pop up every couple years but usually struggles to last more than 1-2.
49 states left. Great show well executed, great editing.
Thank you! I’ve gotta figure out a way to make this a career
I agree, good idea with years of material to work with
Oh man! I've been out of the scene for some time now, but Coy's used to be my primary spot for Magic the Gathering. They've moved a few times around town, I think they're currently on their third location. Their original building in Old Town had a really homey feel, and participating in their more casual Magic tournaments was a lot of fun. They're definitely too big though these days to occupy that spot. Coy's has really come a long way.
As a Grand Rapids local, the vault of midnight has always been the comic store where I find the ONE VOLUME of a manga I can't find anywhere else.
I'm a local of Comic Signal, and I must agree!!! :D Such a wonderful store!!❤️
Great work on this video, man. Tons of work and travel here. Also, gotta shout out to all of the shops for being brave enough to even start a business in the first place and to stay in business! It’s difficult work. Good luck to them all!!!
Secret Crisis is my local!! We play there every thursday night for Star Wars Unlimited.
Owner and all employees are top notch as well as the patrons!
Can't say enough good things about this store!
Just moved to Michigan 2 years ago. I still don't really know my way around the state. The work you did here helps me allot. Thank you 🤙
Galaxy Comics was where I was 10ish years ago when the owner was pitching to my friends and I some 50 cent comics, one being an old X-Men that lost its cover, but none of us really read them at the time so there wasnt much interest. A few minutes later he realizes "Wait a minute... I think this is X-Men #1" and it turned out it was, in fact, #1 missing the cover. He goes "Ope, price on this just went up a bit" as he takes it to the back room. Was a pretty good laugh all around.
From NW Ohio.... So I will be driving North at some point. Some great shops in this video. Thanks for driving to all.
As an avid shopper at Fanfare in Kzoo its awesome to see that score. They really are awesome.
Really good stuff. As someone who has lived in northern Michigan all of their life, I'm excited that you included northern Michigan.
Fun video. A few of my hometown shops! You did miss (and likely were only about 10 minutes from it based on your visits) a great shop in Midland. Modern Explorers Guild. Full new comics weekly, pulls, large wall. Back issues, dollar books, graded books. Perhaps the name is resulted in you missing it. Nice owners as well.
Ah, thank you! I probably skipped them because they look like a game store. Even on their website, I can’t find anything about comics.
I’ll reach out, thanks for letting me know!
Wow! Just stumbled onto your channel and subscribed! Excellent work on venturing out the different comic book stores around the state! Must have been awesome and tiresome at the sane time! Looking forward to more videos! This will definitely help me when I visit! Thanks for sharing !! God bless!
Me not being from U.S and watching this is very cool and interesting. Wish I could visit one of the shops someday. Excited for part 2!
Thanks for doing this! What a cool way to see all the comic shops in my State. I personally love Vault of Midnight GR because I am not to interested in old comics and am always looking for new stories. So I was disappointed they got as low of score as they did. But I appreciate that you note you may be a little biased on it, and I can tell you enjoy the classic sense of the idea of a comic shop.
Amazing Bookstore has been there forever, ever since 1995 when I moved out there. Its right down the road from where I live.
I live right down the road from Top Comics, been going there for years and years. They’re awesome! I also really love Lange’s downstate, huge huge store
Carter from Perfect Storm is a legend in SW Michigan. I played Magic at Fanfare with him for years. He's a super nice guy and his community involvement since taking his position at Perfect Storm has been amazing. Thanks for shouting out the comic scene in Kalamazoo and the surrounding area.
Great video, I hope to check some of these stores out as I travel. I do think the score Summit got was a little unfair, there is a game room in the back and they do a lot of community building (I am a customer not an owner, just trying to stand up for them), I think as one of the only major stores in the Lansing area they try to do a lot to get people in the store, and may not do what the smaller stores do.
There is also Comix Crossing in Mason, MI near Lansing if you look for more stores.
Thank you for telling me, that’s all good to know! If there’s a game room, that at least bumps them up to 4 points in community involvement.
I didn’t know about comix crossing; they don’t show up on either of the maps apps. I’ll reach out to them, thanks for letting me know!
i grew up going to mr dales. it is a 1 man shop, and im so glad its been around as long as it has
Shout out Jackson !!! so weird seeing a shop right down the street from my house in this tiny town being in a video with so many views and supporters !
Mr. Dale is an absolutely awesome guy! we love him in the community and My daughter constantly wanting to go in. He gets a lot of our dollars lol.
Mr Dale is a legend
So glad to hear you enjoyed Cashman's, John is the best!
Thank you so much for stopping in and the kind review! Great video.
P.s Comic Culture in Mt pleasant back issues are all now $1!!
-Joe from Comic Culture
Man I wish I still lived in Michigan
@@KurtWilliamsReviews if you ever visit we will have gold for you! We're doubling down on obscure and rare finds!
Coy's is my go to shop. Great place and awesome people. It's always fun to go in there and kill an hour just looking around
The amount of work put into this is insane and admirable, adored watching this :) One of your very best videos
Thank you so much!
Thank you again so so much for visiting our shop! (Bob's Bullpen) I wish you had been able to see our Comic Book Blind boxes! A hefty stack of comics (no doubles but had a good mix of popular and less well known characters) we ran thru a wall full of long boxes in just a few months with the blind boxes 😁😁😁 hopefully next time you visit we can have one for you!
It's also super dope to see all the different layouts and styles for other shops 🥰🥰🥰🥰
The blind boxes sound really cool, I’m bummed I missed them! Your shop is great, I hope I can come again 👌
@@KurtWilliamsReviews We look forward to it! 😁 You guys were wonderful to meet ☺️!! I'll save some Bonez comics if I find them!
Wow. Nice video. Thorough and comprehensive. I’m a former Michigander born and raised but mostly familiar with comic shops in Metro Detroit. There were a couple featured here on the west side of the state that I would love to visit. Looking forward to part 2. Just subscribed.
I went into Goldmine in Wyoming on a few occasions, and I was always ignored. No employee said hello or asked if I was looking for anything in particular. The store never had any customers when I was in there too, and the employees were talking amongst themselves (every visit I made was pre-COVID too).
On the other hand, the Comic Signal owner is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. You want to support that place and see them thrive because they're doing it completely right.
I sent this to a friend who lives in Michigan. Told him it's a road trip list. Great video!
This is awesome, I actually was planning on going to every shop in Michigan and now I know what to expect
Awesome video man! I live near Grand Rapids, cool to see you at shops I grew up going to!
Another MI toober kick ass
Seems like you may have missed some of Summit in Lansing? They have half the store for games, and a back room of discount bins (not always available) and massive sale events throughout the year. Community involvement is pretty decent compared to the other stores we've had near her in the past.
I did not know that, thanks for sharing! I saw a hallway to somewhere in the back, but it looked like I wasn’t supposed to go there.
Rookies Comic Shop in Lowell Michigan is a spot I grew up on since the 90s. It's pretty awesome.
Same, Jack is the best. Been going there since I was a kid. I love their comic book day celebration.
Thanks for mentioning them, I’ve reached out!
Missed Gamer's Wharf in Grand Rapids and Cobblestone Crafts and Hobbies in Holland. Otherwise, great video. Some new places to visit for me.
Summit in Lansing is my local. They have events and things but most are independent groups that get hosted there so you have to follow the groups to know when things happen also the gaming room is in the back what would be an old storage room for a different type of store about 10 tables or so. This place is the best for tabletop gaming. There is other comic/gaming in Lansing area but not as big. One is close to the campus.
i actually live just down the road from Comic Relief, and i gotta say, as much as the place holds a special place in my heart, i feel it doesn't live up to it's former glory. i recall warm summer friday evenings, taking my $10 to the shop to play friday night magic and the place was always bustling. great shop, great people.
They videos I didn't know I needed to watch. Thanks for doing this
Such an awesome video. Mike at Top comics is my guy and I’ve been shopping there for almost 20yrs, use to help Mike out with his shop for a few years, putting away books every Wed with a group of guys and Mike also is the godfather of the Cherry Capital Comic Con that’s been going on for over a decade, that can bump him up to a 5 in community :p
Thank you! The correction has been noted and will be updated 👍
I was just thinking about where have you been while i was ordering new comics. Glad to see you back! Didn’t know about your ongoing battle. Stay strong ❤ all love
Lol I don’t have cancer, don’t worry
@@KurtWilliamsReviews mann thank god i was shocked and worried whew!
Comic Culture is one of my favorite places in town lol
Cool seeing my dinky little hometown getting some love on UA-cam
Very well done Kurt. However, I'm upset that you didn't hit me up to go to some of these with you guys. Haha
Phenomenal content, especially for a single video. Murder mitten love!
Dude Michiganders strong. Shouts our Vault of Midnight. You should have seen vault in Ann Arbor before it was in the current location. Use to be a basement store. The people who own it are huge in the community. They support everything important. The owners also push for kids being able to be them true selves since I was a small lad
Great video. Double looked at that FF#1 and it was a Golden Record reprint for $450. Still cool though.
I drive all over Southwest Michigan for work. I'm always looking for the next shop to stop at. You did a really good job giving some of the little guys just as much credit as the big guys. Rabbit Hole in Hartford is a very easy miss but it has a lot of great content. I do think Rocket Comics in Kzoo focuses more on being a figure shop, but their card selection is growing nice now too. This was a super cool vid man. Congrats on putting something so comprehensive together and editing it down to something simple and efficient for everyone.
Langes in Muskegon has always been a bit more limited in its new title selection, even over 10 years ago when I was going really regularly. But they are always willing to help put in custom orders if they are missing something. They also used to (and maybe not anymore) host card games and were always willing to give out table space if you wanted to set up an RPG campaign.
Not sure how all of that stuff is now, but it's basically one of the only drivers of sales (it seems) in that entire mall, so glad to see they're doing good.