Comic Shop Spotlight: Graham Crackers (Downer's Grove Location)
Oct 19, 2015
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Graham Crackers in Downer's Grove, IL.
OWNERS: Jamie Graham and John Robinson
MANAGER: Jim Brozman
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 6 (Downer's Grove Location)
YEAR OPENED: 1984
NUMBER OF LOCATIONS: 10
STORE SIZE (SQ. FT): 2,400
Favorite Recent Comic Book: Invisible Republic
How was your Halloween ComicFest event? We had a ton of kids and a lot of people came in dressed in costumes.
What has been your best promotion or event? Free Comic Book Day. It is increasing every year for us.
What recent changes have you made in the store? We changed the configuration of our back-issues and added a top 50 graphic novel display, based on our store’s sales.
What steps have you taken to expand your customer base or to reach out to individuals unfamiliar with your store or comics in general? We work well with the library including a graphic novel night once a month.
What are your plans for the near future? We would like to grow the store into a bigger footprint at some point. We are also adding a TV monitor to display release information to our customers.
How did you choose your store name? It was a takeoff on Jamie’s last name.
What superpower would you most like to have? Time Travel.
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| Similar to the other locations, the shop breaks its selections down by publisher with signage used to call out new releases. | Posters and artwork help decorate each section, and the back-issue boxes hang out in front of the Marvel titles. |
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| The independent publisher section features single issues and a shelf for graphic novels and collected trades. | New product additions are higlighted in this endcap display. |
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| The recently added Top 50 Graphic Novels display shows off the shop's top-selling titles. | The kids comic section has a nice variety of books for budding fans to choose from. |
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| Customers can also find toys and merchandise, including action figures, POP! Vinyl, and bust banks. | Longtime manager Jim Brozman. |
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