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The 'no gatekeeping' rule is making comic shops worse, not better
Everyone says being super welcoming to new fans is always good, but my local shop in Dayton changed its whole vibe to only sell Marvel movie trades and Funko Pops. They stopped ordering the weird indie books that made the place special. How do we keep the doors open without losing what makes comics fun?
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daniel_gonzalez2mo ago
Started a monthly book club for the weird stuff.
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diana_kim661mo ago
Grab a Funko Pop of myself and call it a day, at least that thing sells. Daniel's book club sounds like the only way to save the weird stuff from getting buried under all those Pops. How do you convince a shop owner to keep ordering the risky books when the numbers just crunch against them?
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stone.river2mo ago
That's a real fear... watching a shop lose its soul to stay afloat. Saw it happen here too, where the back-issue bins got replaced by a whole wall of those Pop figures. The owner said he had to move what sells, but man, it just feels like a movie merch store now. Daniel's book club idea sounds like the only lifeline for the oddball stuff. Gotta make a space for it, or it just gets crowded out.
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