Comic Shop Spotlight: Comic Asylum
Aug 21, 2014
Click to see larger image.
Comic Asylum in Richardson, Texas.
OWNER: Mark Hay
YEAR OPENED: 2002
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 4
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS: 1
STORE SIZE (SQ. FT): 2,500
Favorite Recent Comic Book: Lazarus, Walking Dead, and Trees
Special Events: Free Comic Book Day, gaming events (including Magic the Gathering, 40K, Heroclix, and War Machine), midnight release parties.
Community involvement: Summer reading programs with students.
How was your Free Comic Book Day? Very good. I definitely saw customers trying out new books and series that they don’t usually pick up.
What aspect of your store makes you the most proud? Having a very solid selection in several categories, and that we are as good at gaming as we are at comics.
What do you do that is innovative within your store? Display quite a bit of original art, as well as have a second business within the industry: splashpageart.com
What has been your best in-store promotion? Our Charlie Adlard appearance was huge.
What recent changes have you made in the store? We started doing Heroclix events again.
What are your plans for the near future? We will become a partner with the Big Wow Comicfest in San Jose, CA.
How did you choose your store name? I liked the combination—it was cool enough and had an available domain.
| Trade paperbacks get their own section. | A nice mixture of merchandise—including back issues and apparel. |
| Merchandising this alcove with gaming supplies works very well. | The gaming room. |
| In addition to offering a number of Magic Card Sets, this room just beyond the front counter houses 1,000,000 Magic The Gathering singles. | Owner Mark Hay in front of a prized original artwork. |
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