What Makes a Great Comic Shop Great
If you haven't seen it Julia Lepetit created a piece for Dorkly entitled "Types of Comic Book Readers" (http://bit.ly/1PclO6R). It essentially defines what most comic book enthusiasts are into separate but similar categories. Check it out, and laugh a bit at your own expense.
That said. The breakdown is thus!
1. The Newbie - Interested, excited and lost
2. The Borrower - The guy that is forever in posession of your books
3. The Museum Curator - Overly protective collector with stock in nitrile gloves
4. The Traditional - As it sounds, reads hard copy damns the digital versions
5. The Collector - "I must have every issue in the run!"
6. The Groupie - Loyal reader of only a few artists
7. The Researcher - Timeline fanatic
8. The Lapsed Reader - Me, most of the time. Doesn't know whats going on and doesn't have the time to figure it out.
I bring this very accurate post to your attention to prove a few points. The first is simply that at any given moment I am more than one of these 8 separate but similar categories. This is dependent on a lot of variables, but true almost to a fault.
So - what makes a great comic shop great? The understanding of all of these categories. To truly identify your audience you have to understand your audience. You can not simply set up shop and expect the masses to enjoy the same atmosphere, genres and options that you may enjoy, or to enjoy the books themselves with the attitude. Great shops find a middle ground between their preference and that grey area of acceptance that provides enough inclusion to allow adaptation from their clientele.
Years ago I was discussing this topic with my wife and it became apparent that we both had the same pet peeve when it came to being comfortable in a given comic dealer's shop. We didn't want to feel like guests in their home. This is the rub that stops me from re-entering a comic shop - so if you are dealer, please take note. Great customer service wins out every time.
Not the overly forward and awkwardly pushy "We have this and this and that is over there and we provide this if you are interested and by the way..." Nothing turns me around faster than feeling bombarded before I can focus my eyesight to the interior light.
Good quality personal interaction when it's expected, mostly when a question is asked and definitely during checkout.
On more than one occasion I have chosen to discontinue my patronage to a shop simply based on my personal feelings. This is something that is specific to very few markets. Case and point, I despise shopping at Walmart but I still find myself there every other week giving them my money. When you operate in a **non-necessitated direct market you have to account for the "feelings" of your customers. If they "feel" as though they are not welcome, or the atmosphere is too heavy for them to feel comfortable, or you are simply having a bad day and they can tell - well you may have just lost a potential customer.
**Most of us do not NEED comics. MOST of us.
Breaking it down for the masses is simple, be polite, be honest, and be cleanly. You do not have to have the biggest shop, the largest selection or the best sign - but you do have to treat customers with respect, be gracious for their patronage in your establishment, be honest in your transaction and keep a tidy place.
When I say tidy I mean clean and organized. If you have back issues don't pile them up - if you have new comics on the rack don't over load it - displays should be free of dust and dirt. Respect the medium as your customers do because they are all one or more of the aforementioned categories of comic readers. Mostly be personable and understand that the perception a customer makes of you is largely based on how you treat your own merchandise.
I drive and hour passing 2 other comic dealers on my way to my regular shop. I do this because I'm happy with the service provided, the atmosphere and respect given to my patronage and the medium.
The sad truth is there is no Utopian answer to the layout, or selection a dealer provides in a comic shop - in my humble opinion, success is simply based on how you as the shop keeper are perceived, and how the services you can and will provide are delivered. As per usual please comment below - and subscribe!
Once again I ask that you save the planet and take your own bags to the comic shop to collect your bounty from the subscription box. If you do not have a bag - I've provided a link at the bottom of this entry to the sodium16 store for your perusal.
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