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Collectors Corner

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CC Army! @followers Please Read...

SHOP SMALL, SHOP LOCAL FIRST Baltimore, Maryland, Harford, Bel Air, Parkville @followers Please Read and Share! Support Small Business, Shop Small, Shop Local whenever possible to support having places to go that aren't cookie cutter chains, fast food & starbucks for miles.
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Fueled by #marylandsmallbusinesssupportsquad
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Collectors Corner, A Local Comic Shop story. By Owner,
Randy. 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.

Throughout the early 2000's, the store and comic book direct market thrived as the comic book industry saw a semi-revival after the 90's speculator boom & bust with the advent of Quesada's Marvel Knights & Ultimate Lines along with DC's Vertigo. Notable creators stepping up the quality and visibility of comics mainstream titles, boosting readership. We grew and by the 2010's, we had become known for hosting large-scale events like Free Comic Book Day annually, with hundreds of eager fans waiting for our doors to open. These occasions included giveaways, live bands, local artist showcases, and we were fortunate to have the support & cooperation of other small businesses, libraries, schools, clubs and charities to further an appreciation for comics reading, participating in community involvement for the better whenever possible.
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.

The Covid pandemic hit us hard as it did many others, individuals, families and small businesses too, we were closed for nearly 2 months yet with the support of our dedicated customers, we survived. During the shut down we remained active online, utilizing various social media platforms to communicate with our audience and showcase our products, offered new services and planned for the re-opening. Despite the difficulties, we continued to offer a diverse range of merchandise, from vintage toys to the latest comic book releases.The next few years were much better and the comic book direct market was recovering nicely from the shakes ups in distribution in a post Covid era, we expanded the CC Bel Air Outpost store to twice the size in the Spring of 2023 however the last few years have not only seen a wide range of comics and collectibles stores closures locally and regionally but also a swath of small businesses closing nationwide.

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.

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. Never shared this publicly, but my father who passed away a few years ago, printed this photo for me to display in the expanded store of himself and his brother in 1966 (My Uncle) in costumes he made from a mask playset and scraps that he sewed himself using model paint, cardboard and cloth, roaming his neighborhood as Batman and Robin. He always provided for us and hardly complained, he was the epitome of a hard working blue collar family man. He was most certainly a hero to me. My love of Mad Magazines and the Beatles, comics and a lot of other stuff were handed down to me, like a lot of us.. keep that tradition going and start a tradition of contributing as to your neighborhood's Local Businesses so whenever possible for the good of all who live and work there too.

Thanks!

CC Owner
Randy

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