How Are Local Comic Shops Coping During The Shut-Down?

FIRST OF A SERIES

EDITOR'S NOTE: Without the availability of local comic shops and the services they provide to the community of comic collectors - - - the comics publishing business would not have even a small percentage of the sales, popularity and interest that it enjoys today. All small businesses are threatened during the current pandemic, and comic shops are not immune. In fact, they are particularly vulnerable, as they depend on having their doors open for shoppers. I'm going to contact the local shops in our area and see how they are doing during the shut-down, and plan to share their activities so that interested comics readers can still support them. Show your local comic shop some love.  They still need you . . . . . . .  

     Overall, at CAPTAIN BLUE HEN COMICS in Newark, DE the mood is positive and they are certainly proactive, not sitting around and waiting for the phone to ring.

     Owner Joe Murray says he’s busier than before, albeit the doors are closed and all employees, with the exception of Joe, are working remotely from their homes. He’s finding that trying to fill mail orders and respond to emails and phone calls consumes most of his workday, leaving little time for maintenance (which is how they originally planned to spend the time during shut-down). “We’re going to need a few days to clean up the store before we can re-open.”

     Murray plans to keep his full-time employees on staff for now, and as long as he can if the pandemic results in an extended shut-down. “I’m grateful for the experienced help,” he said proudly. “On day one of this, Jason and Dave just fell into their new roles without any loss of effort.”

    Jason Colatriano is acting as the social media/community manager and doing various things to keep and hold the interest of Captain Blue Hen’s customer base.

    Dave Williams has become the logistics expert, managing the email communications and order tracking, payment processing, etc.

     Captain Blue Hen continues to support community events, although these are now done virtually via Facebook Live, Zoom or other social media/networking platforms. Recently, Jason has set-up several video interviews with writers and artists, and posts these to their Facebook and website pages. 

•  Their mail order business has picked up, both through their website,  https://www.captainbluehen.com their Comics Hub link, and emails. 

•  They are using announced “sales” on Facebook Live videos to get attention and pick up orders. Go to @Captain Blue Hen Comics on Facebook to view. 
• They’re participating in the Pull Box Pay It Forward program and also have a support button on their website to take small $10 or larger donations.  
  
• They are selling gift certificates.
•      Currently, Captain Blue Hen is running a contest for purchases on their website (final date is today, April 16). Each purchase earns a chance to participate in an upcoming video with Captain Blue Hen and a celebrity guest star. 
• They’ve moved their monthly Book Club to a Zoom video meeting, and are soliciting 3 books from members, the next 3 months rather than 1 month at a time.
• They are participating in a 2,021 Comics Challenge on Facebook with two other comic shops in Texas and Ohio. Go to @1000 Comics Challenge on Facebook. (Now subtitled 2021: A Comic book Quarantine Odyssey.)  Customers can join the group and whoever reaches the number of 2,021 comics read first earns bragging rights.  Participants are writing quick, short reviews of the books they are reading on the Facebook page, and this has helped generate new orders for the store.

     I asked owner Joe Murray to rate the general feel of the store’s future on a scale of 1-10.10 means they aren’t concerned at all, not bothered by the shutdown. 1 means they are hurting, and may have to close the comic shop permanently:

     Joe says it all depends on if the feds come through with their promises, as CBH has already applied for a small business loan.

     If that happens, Joe rates this at 8.  If he doesn’t get the loan, the rating would drop to 6. However, Joe is determined to see it through. “I have nowhere else to go. I’ve no intention of letting this go down.”

  

     Still, he anticipates a drop-off in business when the shut-down is over and the doors open again:

     “There are three things that keep people from spending as much as they used to at their local comic shop: 1) The economy (spending less if on a budget); 2) Fear (of things returning to  a problem state); and 3) A Change of Habit. (When comic buyers go months without getting comics, they sometimes give up collecting). “You may see some stores shrink in size after this is over,” he said.