Collectors Corner, A Local Comic Shop story. By Owner, Randy Myers. Support Your LCS! - 11/18/24. Collectors Corner, A Local Comic Shop story. By Owner, Randy Myers. Support Your LCS! - 11/18/24. Collectors Corner, A Local Comic Shop story. Blog Entry -

Collectors Corner, A Local Comic Shop story. By Owner, Randy Myers. Support Your LCS! - 11/18/24.

Collectors Corner, A Local Comic Shop story. Blog Entry -

By Owner, Randy Myers. Support Your LCS.

Let me tell you the story of Collectors Corner, a comic book shop in Parkville and it's connections to the ever evolving comic world. I started reading comics around ages 5 or 6 when a collection was given to me by my uncle that included titles like Conan the Barbarian, Savage Sword of Conan & Master of Kung Fu, which explains a lot.I started the store in the late 1990's at the North Point Flea Market in Dundalk. After a brief pause in my comics reading journey to store-dom in my late teens, I resumed reading and opened a permanent stall in the corner by the Amish Food Court. A few years later I was married and awaiting the birth of my first kid, while working construction all week and at the flea market on Saturdays and Sundays. In 2001, I took the risk to expand into a 800 square-foot storefront open 7 Days a week on Harford Road in Parkville, just a week before the 9/11 attacks which left everyone reeling and unsure about the future.

After expanding CC Parkville to double the size in 2013, I opened the second CC store Location in Bel Air, which was a good decision that gained us a lot of new supporters, readers and fans. During these years Collectors Corner Parkville was a 3 Time Nominated, Will Eisner Spirit of Retailer Award Finalist. A few years later, in 2015, the downtown Baltimore location opened, which, despite initial challenges, managed to hold its own for a few years. When the comics market began a sales decline in 2018, our small footprint and new comics, collected edition focus in that store led to it's eventual closing in 2020.

Currently, at CC Stores we are facing a tough year in 2024, with much lower sales than previous years and less foot traffic decreasing steadily since January. Some comics are experiencing a slight uptick in sales just recently with the X-men and Ultimate Line relaunches and DC Comics Absolute series, other new comics titles sales are plummeting and competition from Amazon & Online Deep Discounters for other New products we stock impact us more and more. We are doing everything in our power to adapt, and evolve from renovating the stores, upgrading fixtures, displays and expanding into new product lines, presenting new promotions with sales while offering frequent deep discounts, working with small business teaming up, plus punch card loyalty rewards. Outside of the stores we are attending more conventions and special events as well. Another service we have always offered is buying comics and collections. Our commitment to transparency and fairness in purchasing is there to view in Google reviews and elsewhere, we have always assessed and evaluated collections by appointment offering up to 50% of the retail value for most items. We remain very active to inform customers of new releases, promotions and events on all social media platforms posting and sharing since Myspace with a profile on nearly all of them.

I always wanted Collectors Corner to be more than just a place to spend money; we have been part of the local comics community promoting local artists and creators in a space where families can get together, talk comics, peacefully browsing sharing their love & nostalgia. Help us achieve this goal together, we cannot do this without you. We are urging subscribers to continue supporting us by picking up their subscription boxes ideally on Wednesdays, weekly or bi-weekly. Our full-time staff, always genuine, hard working and helpful Cesar, Elaina, Gordon, Kelly and I want to be here chatting, reading and sharing stories for another 25+ years. Most of you know us by first name, we are proud of that.

Sometimes owning a small business feels like you have the the world on your shoulders, but when I get to share an excitement for comics in discussion with a customer those moments make me hopeful for the stores future. I can't stress enough enough how much the diverse cross section of customers and supporters we are privileged to have motivates us daily to push forward and what that means to me personally being able to do something I love for a living more often than not. I’ve been lucky enough to see generations of families grow up in the stores while my own kids were there with me on their days off—I see kids who came with their parents to the stores, now bringing their own kids which is why we've always aspired to be a overwhelmingly welcoming store, even if you’re not a die-hard comic reader or collector. Your support over the past twenty plus years through all the massive Free Comic Book Days, quirky meet ups and clubs, in-store parties, gaming events, Halloween Comic Fests, Holiday events, movie nights, open mics, creator signings, canned food drives, toys for tots bins, flea markets, contests, sales, outdoor festivals, and conventions is appreciated more than any of you can really ever know. So, if it’s been a while since you last visited or if you have friends or family who’ve never been in, gather your family, group, social circle, squad or posse and plan a visit to the stores soon or show support any way you can, staying tuned for good news and fun times we could all use. We’ve got a lot of things planned for the rest of the year including huge savings lined up aimed at keeping the doors open in 2025, while planning making some major changes to remain open long term.

P.S. Don't forget the Free Arcade downstairs at CC Parkville is always Free and Open 7 Days a week, if you need some time tunnel meditation and relaxation.

Thanks for reading,

Randy & Staff, CC.

PIC. 2015 BCC

We really hope support of small businesses becomes a bigger movement at some point before so many more are gone. Even when spending isn't an option we all have the opportunity to share positive experiences, posts and stories to keep small businesses around as part of our daily lives. As we all gear up for this holiday season, we ourselves are hopeful for a miraculous turnaround in sales and foot traffic from now until Xmas that will secure the stores future for 2025. We truly need all of you to go to bat for us, if you can any way you can because we want to be around for current customers & supporters families, future readers and collectors.

7 Reasons To Shop Local And Support Small Businesses; Forbes Article.

Stimulate Local Economies

By making a commitment to shop local or support small businesses, you cycle money back into your community. If you’re like most Americans, you shop at large chain stores. You may even feel like it’s an obligation to shop at these places because they have the best deals and you can find whatever you’re looking for. However, there are many reasons why buying local is better for your community and for your wallet.

The tax revenue made through sale taxes from local businesses support the local government. This is then used to reinvest in the community. However, big box retailers often receive tax breaks from local governments that don’t give local businesses such a luxury. By choosing to invest money into a large big box chain elsewhere, local communities won’t reap any of the benefits.

Reduced Carbon Footprint

One word: transportation. A local small business tends to make more local purchases, which requires less transportation (less pollution and congestion). Additionally, since they are set up in a town or city, it will generally reduce traffic, habitat loss and resource depletion.

Jobs

According to the Small Business Administration: “The 2019 Small Business Profiles show that small businesses added 1.8 million net new jobs in the United States during the latest year studied. The United States has 30.7 million small businesses, and they employ 47.3 percent of the private workforce.” Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They help push economic growth and the local economy by opening up employment opportunities locally to people who may not want to be employed by these big box businesses.

Community

Small businesses are known to play a significant role in supporting local community charities and causes. It’s clear that local businesses benefit from a strong community, therefore the owners tend to be more engaged members of the community themselves. Small businesses donate 250% more than large businesses to local nonprofits and community causes, creating a positive cycle of giving back locally. This includes local charities, youth organizations, local first responders, local service groups and more.

Customer Service

When it comes to a small-business owner, all purchases, deals and positive reviews matter. Local store owners value each of their customers, and their very livelihood hangs on your own happiness. Unlike big chains, local businesses often hire people with proficient knowledge of the products they are selling or the ins and outs of the business they are running. Employees take the time to really get to know their clients and customers, making for an overall pleasant experience. Also, if you do have a quandary, rest assured you won’t be hashing it out with a robot.

Nurture Innovation And Growth

It’s simple. In order for small businesses to stay afloat, they need to stand out from their big box competition. It’s this type of survival-of-the-fittest mentality that allows small-business owners to become innovative entrepreneurs—conjuring up avant-garde ideas for solutions to problems, creating new unique products and taking new customers’ specific situations into account when assisting with their personal needs.

Support The American Dream

The American dream is the theory in which equality of opportunity should be made available to any American, allowing them to achieve their highest individual aspirations and goals. Small-business owners not only believe in this dream but have actively pursued it. By supporting small businesses and shopping small, you’re supporting real, genuine people who have put their passion ahead of convenience and whole-heartedly believe in the business they are running.

Now more than ever, it’s time to encourage strangers and friends alike to think globally, shop small, support local businesses and ultimately fund a better tomorrow."