I am 57, and once upon a time I thought running a comic shop would be fun. But after getting to know some LCS owners and after working part-time in a shop myself for several months, I realize that it is like any other business: HARD WORK. Sure, there are fun moments and activities, but when you're responsible for figuring out how to turn a profit and keep the lights on, you realize just how much goes into running such a business and how crucial every decision you make can be. I live in Chgo, and I can count the number of LCS that have managed to stay open steadily for 10-20yrs on one hand. I respect these gentlemen a lot for navigating what can be a very unsteady industry to their advantage. Definitely looking forward to this video series.
I am very much looking forward to this series. If comic buyers and collectors understand the effort in retailing books, it would make them more informed and reasonable collectors.
Very excited to see this series. I have dreamed of opening a comic shop for years but always had cold feet due to the unknown. Hopefully this will shed some light on those unknowns. Looking forward to it!
Well, I hope you enjoy the series and learn a little bit. Mostly from my mistakes. If you decide to do it, I would suggest incorporating if you're risk adverse. Which I am. it's not fear it's calculating for business success. Hope you enjoy the content. Welcome aboard!
Really looking forward to this! Always had it a bit of a dream to open a collectibles shop one day so definitely tuning in to every episode. Would love to know about the numbers/data/stats of the biz including margins... What are your "bread and butter" items that sell consistently to keep the business afloat (like the subscriptions you mentioned in this episode)?.. what do you pay for collections/books/collectibles with so much competition and everyone knowing eBay prices?.. how long did it take you to go from store inception to when you actually were able to open the doors for the first time? Did you build up a big collection of items first before ever selling anything?...
Almost questions and more are answered in this series. 40 episodes have been filmed and we will be putting them out weekly. Thank you and welcome aboard!
I have been looking for something like this for a long time. i dipped my foot in this business a few years before covid but sadly had to shut it down. I've been looking for more information on everything so I am looking forward to this series. Hopefully I will be able to reopen again and be successful my next go round.
Would love to see you have a chat with Chuck Rozansky. Grew up in his shops, here in Denver (and now his massive consolidated mecca), and he's a hell of a character. I realize he's always been controversial but there's no doubt that he has a perspective on the industry from every side, an opinion worth hearing :) Also, he's really into his community, like you, and he cares a lot. Also like you. We are lucky to have cats like you taking care of us.
I actually used to hang out almost daily at the gateway Mall in Aurora Denver area met Mike Grell there. And they're the reason I open a comic shop. I would love to talk to him at some point.
@@HavenForHeroes oh, man, that's brilliant. Grell is a legend. A true artist. Did you manage to get in on the Kickstarter for his book? I saw it two weeks too late and missed out.
Hey. Just discovered your channel after seeing you on the Beyond Wednesdays industry show. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your videos and would love to hear about what creators can do to move their books off their shelves once they are in your store and mitigate the risk of taking a chance on a new, unproven creator and/or title. Thanks!
Make sure you're building fan base. Make sure you have a commercial cover that makes people pull it off the shelf. Leave the art for the inside. The outside says take me. Have a good concept and a great story. We'll do the rest
@@HavenForHeroes Thanks for the reply! I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. I'll be sure to do my part! Thanks for all you do to bring our content to new readers 🙏
Good evening, have you or anyone you know who owns a shop ever think of adding flea markets as a way to purge sitting stock of independent and slightly damaged comics for steep discounts. We all know those independents and old stock take up much needed space over the years even the $1.00 bins there are hard titles to move. I been doing well in that area just want your thoughts.
Hello. This sounds great. I have been waiting to find something like this. I will be looking forward to the show each week. Thank you for doing this. Randy B.
This will be an awesomely informative and educational series, and I can't wait to see more! I so appreciate the time and effort you have put into this endeavor, and I wish you lots of views and helpful and insightful comments!
I am excited for this series! And thank you for not hating too much on us "dirty flippers" lol.. I can barely call myself that even but many dealers certainly have labeled me as such (and often after only about 1 second of meeting me), but I am always quick to respond, "takes one to know one" which is 100% accurate albeit a bit childish.. I'm 90% collector (for personal enjoyment, not financial gain), and 10% "seller" but that is usually only if I upgrade a book and have a duplicate or dollar bin stuff that I can have some fun making a couple dollars (not even enough to support my PC buying tho lol).. What confounds the dealers and leads them to their inaccurate judgement of me is that I don't really "read" comics (they are picture-books so nobody actually "reads" them), I appreciate them for the art, specifically cover art. (yes, GGA). Sad truth is that without "flippers" or "Spec-ers" there would literally be no significant value in comics at all, especially anything after 1960 or so (aside from about a handful of unobtainable grails).. anyway, can you talk about Whatnot (if you know anything about it), I am still a bit confused on how to sell (or even buy) on that platform
I'm sorry I have to disagree about the value because before there was flippers look still had value. I think the values are actually over where they should be. Modern books that are created to be collectibles Will lose favor in the future. Many of the comic sports cards and so forth that were made as collectibles have lost favor now. It's the stories. The art is a big part of the stories. It's not a collectible it's an art form that happens to be collected. When you buy your books, if you pay what the store is asking, you're not a dirty flipper. Thanks for joining the conversation. I hope you enjoyed the content. Welcome aboard!
I'm a new subscriber who just discovered your channel. What great videos! I'm not even interested in opening a shop, but enjoyed this video and can see how helpful it will be to those who wish to do so. More power to you!
I look forward to this series. I've been collecting since the late 80's and have acquired a pretty large collection of comics and collectables. I've been wanting to own a store, or actually anything comic book/pop culture related for quite some time. I just need a real job to sustain my family and have yet gained enough bravery to venture beyond my current situation. I think my next step is to get into some online formats as well enter a few local conventions. From there maybe something larger and more sustainable... we'll see. I have more questions, so I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences and suggestions. Thank you ;)
Nice. The one in OKC has their shop split in two. The front is the shop and bar... then there's a red velvet rope... and the back is all the same games as the front, but they're already open so you can play with them.@@setaside2
Well it's absolutely the one thing you can't go cheap on by a quality bag and acid free backboards. Try to buy is all that you need at once. Hopefully you'll reach a discount level. Thanks for sharing and welcome to the community.
I'm the side hustle that you mentioned as the 5th model. I'd like to know what the process entails for getting books direct from Diamond or the other distributors?
Yeah I have 40 episodes of the show already filmed and one of them is about signing up for diamond and doing your first diamond order. So stay tuned. It's coming up
This is great information. If someone could put all of this information in some sort of checklist/PowerPoint/ expenses and all the information that is being presented?
Great series.. I would like to know your ball park for monthly expenses and what you consider the capital needed to start a decent comic shop .. also for acquiring inventory. is it strictly from walkins? do you buy out other dealers? do you travel out of state often to buy nicer collections? Thanks for doing this series and the transparency.
I managed a comic shop for years. I'm curious what you do when you get sick. I'm no talking the flu or things like that, I'm talking when you're very very sick. I had pneumonia and the owner still insisted I come to work.
I've taken our partners and they've come and they've gone whenever they were sick they were off with pay. They were taking a draw against profits and we figured it out. They had very low percentages of the business but enough so they were not employees.
I have a large collection that Im organizing and preparing for selling online. Once they are ready to go, is it better to offer free shipping or is it better to charge for shipping?How much do shipping charges affect the profits? Thank you very much!
Well, if you have the benefit of being in the middle of the country, shipping to either Coast will be similar price. I'm on the East Coast so selling to the West Coast shipping is more expensive. Free shipping will cost you around $9 with your handling your Gemini mailer, your bag and your board. Oh and your time. I don't sell Comics online through eBay. I usually charge shipping when I do. Welcome to the conversation and the community.
It's kind of a little joke to the guys from tales. From the flip side they kind of wear it like a badge of honor. It does have a bad connotation. There are a lot of people doing this as a side gig that will not paying insurance or taxes and are not a licensed business
I am 57, and once upon a time I thought running a comic shop would be fun. But after getting to know some LCS owners and after working part-time in a shop myself for several months, I realize that it is like any other business: HARD WORK. Sure, there are fun moments and activities, but when you're responsible for figuring out how to turn a profit and keep the lights on, you realize just how much goes into running such a business and how crucial every decision you make can be. I live in Chgo, and I can count the number of LCS that have managed to stay open steadily for 10-20yrs on one hand. I respect these gentlemen a lot for navigating what can be a very unsteady industry to their advantage. Definitely looking forward to this video series.
Well, thanks for sharing your story. It's always interesting to hear about different areas. Welcome to the conversation
Thank you for these videos 🙏 . What an awesome thing to share with anyone who dreams of opening a shop.
Thank you
I am very much looking forward to this series. If comic buyers and collectors understand the effort in retailing books, it would make them more informed and reasonable collectors.
Thank you and welcome aboard!
Excited for this!
Thank you
Looks like a nice little shop you got there!
Thank you
Very excited to see this series. I have dreamed of opening a comic shop for years but always had cold feet due to the unknown. Hopefully this will shed some light on those unknowns. Looking forward to it!
Well, I hope you enjoy the series and learn a little bit. Mostly from my mistakes. If you decide to do it, I would suggest incorporating if you're risk adverse. Which I am. it's not fear it's calculating for business success. Hope you enjoy the content. Welcome aboard!
Great idea for a video series. I'd love to know the start up costs, rent cost, etc.
I have 40 episodes so stay tuned and welcome aboard
Nice idea on the content. I really dig this
Thank you
Really looking forward to this! Always had it a bit of a dream to open a collectibles shop one day so definitely tuning in to every episode. Would love to know about the numbers/data/stats of the biz including margins... What are your "bread and butter" items that sell consistently to keep the business afloat (like the subscriptions you mentioned in this episode)?.. what do you pay for collections/books/collectibles with so much competition and everyone knowing eBay prices?.. how long did it take you to go from store inception to when you actually were able to open the doors for the first time? Did you build up a big collection of items first before ever selling anything?...
Almost questions and more are answered in this series. 40 episodes have been filmed and we will be putting them out weekly. Thank you and welcome aboard!
Really looking forward to this series of behind the scenes of a comic shop
We have 40 episodes already filmed so stay tuned and get one a week
I have been looking for something like this for a long time. i dipped my foot in this business a few years before covid but sadly had to shut it down. I've been looking for more information on everything so I am looking forward to this series. Hopefully I will be able to reopen again and be successful my next go round.
Thanks for watching. I'll stay tuned. We already have 40 episodes filmed so welcome aboard
Would love to see you have a chat with Chuck Rozansky. Grew up in his shops, here in Denver (and now his massive consolidated mecca), and he's a hell of a character. I realize he's always been controversial but there's no doubt that he has a perspective on the industry from every side, an opinion worth hearing :) Also, he's really into his community, like you, and he cares a lot. Also like you. We are lucky to have cats like you taking care of us.
I actually used to hang out almost daily at the gateway Mall in Aurora Denver area met Mike Grell there. And they're the reason I open a comic shop. I would love to talk to him at some point.
@@HavenForHeroes oh, man, that's brilliant. Grell is a legend. A true artist. Did you manage to get in on the Kickstarter for his book? I saw it two weeks too late and missed out.
This is going to be an awesome series !
Thank you we have over 40 episodes coming
Hey. Just discovered your channel after seeing you on the Beyond Wednesdays industry show. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your videos and would love to hear about what creators can do to move their books off their shelves once they are in your store and mitigate the risk of taking a chance on a new, unproven creator and/or title. Thanks!
Make sure you're building fan base. Make sure you have a commercial cover that makes people pull it off the shelf. Leave the art for the inside. The outside says take me. Have a good concept and a great story. We'll do the rest
@@HavenForHeroes Thanks for the reply! I appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. I'll be sure to do my part! Thanks for all you do to bring our content to new readers 🙏
Looking forward to this new series sir....
Thank you very much and welcome aboard
Good evening, have you or anyone you know who owns a shop ever think of adding flea markets as a way to purge sitting stock of independent and slightly damaged comics for steep discounts. We all know those independents and old stock take up much needed space over the years even the $1.00 bins there are hard titles to move. I been doing well in that area just want your thoughts.
Yes, I used to do the flea markets all the time. Sadly there are no more flea markets in our area.
Hey Mr.Haven appreciate the video my comic shop in Lebanon PA AA comics and cards you should give him a call
@@ronnierodriguez6403 you're not far away I'll try to reach out when I've got some time.
Great show and really enjoyed you and Denise on Bryan’s channel on Tuesday
Thank you welcome aboard!
Hello. This sounds great. I have been waiting to find something like this. I will be looking forward to the show each week. Thank you for doing this. Randy B.
No thank you for watching. We have 40 episodes coming already filmed. You'll get one week. Welcome aboard
loving the channel Emmet. great listen.
Thanks brother, much appreciated
I didn't even know this was going to be a series. i'm already loving it! subscribed
Welcome aboard!
This will be an awesomely informative and educational series, and I can't wait to see more! I so appreciate the time and effort you have put into this endeavor, and I wish you lots of views and helpful and insightful comments!
Thank you so much and thank you for participating in the conversation. Welcome aboard!
This is gonna be an awesome series!! Haven For Heroes is an amazing and classic shop!
Thank you brother
Very cool video and idea! hyped to see the next one. Subscribed!
Thank you. Stay tuned. There's 40 episodes filmed. You'll get one a week so welcome aboard
I am excited for this series! And thank you for not hating too much on us "dirty flippers" lol.. I can barely call myself that even but many dealers certainly have labeled me as such (and often after only about 1 second of meeting me), but I am always quick to respond, "takes one to know one" which is 100% accurate albeit a bit childish.. I'm 90% collector (for personal enjoyment, not financial gain), and 10% "seller" but that is usually only if I upgrade a book and have a duplicate or dollar bin stuff that I can have some fun making a couple dollars (not even enough to support my PC buying tho lol).. What confounds the dealers and leads them to their inaccurate judgement of me is that I don't really "read" comics (they are picture-books so nobody actually "reads" them), I appreciate them for the art, specifically cover art. (yes, GGA). Sad truth is that without "flippers" or "Spec-ers" there would literally be no significant value in comics at all, especially anything after 1960 or so (aside from about a handful of unobtainable grails).. anyway, can you talk about Whatnot (if you know anything about it), I am still a bit confused on how to sell (or even buy) on that platform
I'm sorry I have to disagree about the value because before there was flippers look still had value. I think the values are actually over where they should be. Modern books that are created to be collectibles Will lose favor in the future. Many of the comic sports cards and so forth that were made as collectibles have lost favor now. It's the stories. The art is a big part of the stories. It's not a collectible it's an art form that happens to be collected. When you buy your books, if you pay what the store is asking, you're not a dirty flipper. Thanks for joining the conversation. I hope you enjoyed the content. Welcome aboard!
I am interested in opening a arcade with a back issue gift shop
Thank you for you
Inspiration
Well that sounds very cool. Thank you for joining the conversation. Welcome to our community
I'm a new subscriber who just discovered your channel. What great videos! I'm not even interested in opening a shop, but enjoyed this video and can see how helpful it will be to those who wish to do so. More power to you!
Thank you so much for subscribing. I have 40 episodes to come. Welcome aboard. Thank you for joining the the conversation.
I look forward to this series. I've been collecting since the late 80's and have acquired a pretty large collection of comics and collectables. I've been wanting to own a store, or actually anything comic book/pop culture related for quite some time. I just need a real job to sustain my family and have yet gained enough bravery to venture beyond my current situation. I think my next step is to get into some online formats as well enter a few local conventions. From there maybe something larger and more sustainable... we'll see. I have more questions, so I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences and suggestions. Thank you ;)
There's already 40 episodes filmed. You'll get one a week every week. Thanks for watching. Welcome aboard!
I do want to find a shop to buy my collection. Old comics, some keys, different mini series and collections. Original comic sheet art.
Let me know where you're located I'll see if I can help you find an honest shop to deal with.
Thanks for the video! Ironically, I was thinking about this just this past weekend. Would be great to hear your thoughts!
I have 40 episodes to release once a week so stay tuned and welcome aboard!
There's a board game shop near OKC that has a bar right inside. Has a comic shop ever tried something like this?
Would love to but our location wouldn't allow it at this time
There's a shop in Manitou Springs, CO that has a bar and game room in the back. Manitou is a super interesting place, though. Not your usual venue 😁
Nice. The one in OKC has their shop split in two. The front is the shop and bar... then there's a red velvet rope... and the back is all the same games as the front, but they're already open so you can play with them.@@setaside2
Id love to see drunks thumbing through long boxes LMAO
@@Mountainrock70 who knows, maybe you've seen it happen already :)
Yes! Bags and boards can by expensive, so any help or tips would be highly appreciated. Thank you very much!
Well it's absolutely the one thing you can't go cheap on by a quality bag and acid free backboards. Try to buy is all that you need at once. Hopefully you'll reach a discount level. Thanks for sharing and welcome to the community.
Cool shop!
Thank you
I'm the side hustle that you mentioned as the 5th model. I'd like to know what the process entails for getting books direct from Diamond or the other distributors?
Yeah I have 40 episodes of the show already filmed and one of them is about signing up for diamond and doing your first diamond order. So stay tuned. It's coming up
This is great information. If someone could put all of this information in some sort of checklist/PowerPoint/ expenses and all the information that is being presented?
That would be great I have 40 episodes already filmed so stay tuned welcome aboard
Great series.. I would like to know your ball park for monthly expenses and what you consider the capital needed to start a decent comic shop .. also for acquiring inventory. is it strictly from walkins? do you buy out other dealers? do you travel out of state often to buy nicer collections? Thanks for doing this series and the transparency.
Actually a bit of all you just said there's 40 episodes already done. Stay tuned. Welcome aboard!
I managed a comic shop for years. I'm curious what you do when you get sick. I'm no talking the flu or things like that, I'm talking when you're very very sick. I had pneumonia and the owner still insisted I come to work.
I've taken our partners and they've come and they've gone whenever they were sick they were off with pay. They were taking a draw against profits and we figured it out. They had very low percentages of the business but enough so they were not employees.
I have a large collection that Im organizing and preparing for selling online. Once they are ready to go, is it better to offer free shipping or is it better to charge for shipping?How much do shipping charges affect the profits? Thank you very much!
Well, if you have the benefit of being in the middle of the country, shipping to either Coast will be similar price. I'm on the East Coast so selling to the West Coast shipping is more expensive. Free shipping will cost you around $9 with your handling your Gemini mailer, your bag and your board. Oh and your time. I don't sell Comics online through eBay. I usually charge shipping when I do. Welcome to the conversation and the community.
💥👊💥
Ty
I would love to know how much to pay for collections or for stuff people bring in
That's definitely going to be in the series. We already have 40 episodes filmed and get one a week for the whole rest of the year
Good stuff. But when you call someone a "dirty flipper", aren't you doing the exact same thing? LOL
It's kind of a little joke to the guys from tales. From the flip side they kind of wear it like a badge of honor. It does have a bad connotation. There are a lot of people doing this as a side gig that will not paying insurance or taxes and are not a licensed business
When is/was Free Comic Book Day?
That shot is from last year's this year's FCBD is May 4th.
@@HavenForHeroes Thank you. Star Wars Day and FCBD all on the same day. It’s gonna be crazy. 🤓
FCDB?? thats in May
Yes this year may 4th this was shot last year.
Dirty flippers!
LOL thanks for watching
Excited for this!
Thank you we have 45 episodes ready to go