From the Frontlines : Vol.1 Issue #1

January 7, 2009 by Randy Myers
Filed under Columns

From the Frontlines: Vol.1 Issue #1
by Randy Myers, Columnist

I have been a direct market comic book retailer for over 10 years and I will try to share my perspective on matters related to the comic book industry at large as well as topics related to that industry like toys, games and collectibles and more. I figured for the first column I would provide a little background on myself and my shop, a proper introduction of sorts.

As far as I go, I have been collecting and reading comics on and off since the age of 4 or 5. I stopped in high school, 1989 or so and then didn’t pick up another comic until 1994-95 when I came across a shop in the neighborhood I was living in at the time and started reading again. Laid off at the time from construction work I started helping that guy at his shop and watching/running his shop until he closed down in 1996. Soon after I started setting up at a flea market, renting a table and selling extra books which led me to a permanent stand at the flea market.

As luck would have it I was approached by a guy with a collectibles, nascar and cards shop in 2001 at the flea market looking for someone to take over his lease so he could retire. I decided to take over his lease although not his inventory, to open a full time comic book store after tiring of the construction trade and the long hours associated with it. I opened the week before Sept. 11, 2001, the events of that tragic day and the effects on the population at large and the economy were pretty devastating for any new business combined with the fact that the comic industry was also at that point mildly recovering from very poor sales figures and a major loss of readers following the booming years of the early 1990’s. I was determined to make it work and did everything I could to create a family friendly clean and organized comic book store with a varied inventory and well stocked shelves.

It hasn’t always been easy and the industry is always in a state of flux, constantly and steadily changing right before my eyes week by week. That being said, I enjoy owning, running and practically living in the store.

Collectors Corner is located in Parkville, Baltimore County in Maryland. We are known for having the largest Free Comic Book day event in Maryland every year, as well as numerous creator signings and events. In 2008 we were named the BEST comic book store in Baltimore by the Baltimore City paper Best of Edition, we were very proud of that and try to live up to that everyday.

Which brings me to what we hope to achieve with this column. I wanted to shoot for something a little different than say Brian Hibbs’ Tilting at Windmills which to me is the best and most informative retailer written column on the net and in print. I want to give readers of this column some input and insight into the inner workings of the industry and the retail side of things from my point of view and maybe also offer some of my personal opinions on current hot topics in comics. It can be comic series like Final Crisis, Secret Invasion, or more obscure independent titles, or discussion of other topics like digital comics, trades paperbacks and graphic novels, manga or any other topic you can come up with.

So with all that said, readers please feel free to submit to our email some of the topics you would like to see discussed or addressed.
Direct any questions to Randy at – collectorscornermd@comcast.net

Thanks,
Randy

Collectors Corner Inc.
8108 A Harford Rd
Baltimore (Parkville), MD 21234
www.collectorscornermd.com

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