Posted in: Comics | Tagged: comic store in your future, heroclix, Magic TheGathering

Comic Store In Your Future Goes Back To The Beginning

Comic Store In Your Future Goes Back To The Beginning as Rod Lamberti learns from lessons taught ten years ago

When Rodman Comics first opened fifteen years ago, it looked a lot different from what it does now. We had new back issue bins, a new counter, and a cash register. The back issue bins were built so that counter tops could go on them, and Heroclix could be played. Fifteen years ago, the maps for Heroclix were a lot bigger. When we opened, I was unaware that Magic: The Gathering was still around at the time. By the end of that first day, I would be very aware.

We held Heroclix gaming nights on Fridays and Magic: The Gathering gaming on Saturdays. I discovered that the other stores had Friday Night Magic, and, being new, I figured having it on Saturdays would be the way to go. I kept being told that Heroclix provided prize support for gaming nights and Magic did the same, but Magic would only send prize support if we had Friday Night Magic games. It was free, so we started Friday Night Magic and switched Heroclix to Saturdays, then Sundays for a while, as the Heroclix prize support was not free. I was told that Wizards of the Coast would send material for free for Dungeons & Dragons if we hosted Wednesday gaming for it. That is what the other stores do, I kept being told. Like a fool, I went along with it.

Magic: The Gathering would have prereleases, where people played to get the upcoming release of the next set early. I was proud of myself. I would be here at midnight Friday, noon Saturday, 8 pm Saturday, and noon Sunday, hosting prereleases. I would be exhausted, though I thought I "had" to do it. As time went on, I realized it was not the most productive idea. People would show up and spend the bare minimum to get into the game, or play for free if it was a free event. For Magic, we had Commander games on Sundays. It was free, so of course, people showed up not to spend a penny. Then, when we started charging $5, people complained. They were here for four hours, so that would be $1.25 an hour, which is pretty cheap.  The $5 was to get people to spend money instead of taking up space. Other stores let them, so they could not understand why they shouldn't just hang out for free at a business. I finally got wise and stopped having Sunday Commander games.

Dungeons and Dragons was a distraction on Wednesdays. The latest release of D&D would either sell on its own or not. Having gaming for D&D did not move the sales needle for the product. I stopped having it on Wednesdays and moved it to Thursdays.  The last group got together and was told by the Dungeon Master that he had bought old books that he would use, with the current rules, even though they were not supposed to be. Others said they did not want that. He went ahead anyway. The ones who said they did not want that did not attend the next game. He said it was because of the good weather. I corrected him and told him it was because they did not want to have to play old rules with new rules.  That was the last D&D meeting, and D&D sales were unchanged.

Heroclix was a game I had played often. Comic characters are mini-figures that fight each other, with dice rolling. What's not to love? I knew when one of the first players said that another store charged a dollar to play, and he hated it, it wouldn't work.  The group would show and play for free. Some people said they could not afford to spend money, but then they would all go to a restaurant afterwards for pizza and beer. I am sure that was not free.

I was lucky and got a new group of Heroclix players who appreciated playing here and would spend money. I no longer had free Heroclix gaming, and people bought Heroclixes to play. The group was great, and they once played at the same time as a Magic group had their Commander game on a Sunday. The Heroclix players finished and thanked me for having them. The Magic group looked at them, like, "What are you doing?"

Heroclix gaming would slow down, as people went to college, got married, and moved. It became tougher to get together to play, so Heroclix gaming has not been on for a while.

I noticed the Magic sets I did not have any gaming sessions for sold the best: the first Modern Masters, Ikora, and so on. When lockdown was lifted, I never had Magic gaming return, and sales were unaffected. Ikora was the first release after COVID hit, and I received a call from my vendor asking if I was sure I wanted my full order of Ikora. He said other stores cut back. I said no, I believed people would be starving for product after going so long without. I was right, I had the product longer than other stores at the time, and made a lot of money.

I realized that instead of putting in so much work with prereleases, I could simply sell products like big chain stores do. When we first opened it was dismal. We were new,and  comics sales were terrible. Diamond wanted me to order more, which I found funny. It wouldn't be until the New 52 started that comics sales were good. People did come in to try the New 52. It was hot for a bit. Batman was, of course, kicking all forms of butt; the Court of Owls were so cool. Marvel's Uncanny X-Force was the hot seller. I was also reading it and enjoying it. The Walking Dead was the comic property that got brand new people in the door. People were buying up the trades and comic issues.

Over the years, we have replaced the cash register with a touch-screen computer that was part of a program to modernise comic stores. At times when I am tired, I foolishly touch the screen at home. The carpet had gotten really bad, and the place next door was empty, so I asked if I could move everything next door for a bit and have the carpet replaced, which I paid for while getting credit from the leasing company. I had used the same company years before to replace the bathroom floor, and they were great. This time, years later, they were rude and not very helpful. I learned that things could change. I guess they were not as hungry for business, and of course, I will not use them again if the need arises.

To this day, years later, I still have people walking in saying, "Oh, you remodeled". I moved the checkout from where people walk in to the back of the store. I wasn't sure if it would work, but it seems to. The only thing I did not take into account when moving the checkout was the vent above, and when it is blowing at times, it can make it difficult to hear. Though come winter, when it is freezing out, being in the back feels a heck of a lot better than being by the door.

Gone is the newness to the place. After nearly a decade and a half, the back issue bins show nicks and scrapes. I bought a new commercial floor mat for the entrance, and now the store smells like rubber. Gone also is the naive, wide-eyed, full of wonder store owner, replaced by hopefully a wiser, battle-hardened veteran with a much cooler store than when it first opened.

Like the Ship Of Theseus or Trigger's Broom, if you change the carpet, the furniture, the stock and the customers, is it it still the same store? Yes, because I am running it, and this is Rodman Comics of Ankeny, Iowa.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!