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Surviving the Economy in East Dearborn
Posted By: Best Blogs of the Year
Posted: 12/22/2011
By, Dan Merritt
Our original location was on Michigan Avenue in Dearborn,
just east of Schaefer Road in a section of the city known as East
Dearborn. It had opened in 1985 as Comics Plus, in an 1,100-square-foot space, sandwiched in between a pizzeria and a laundromat. 
The
business had relied on a small legion of dedicated customers that had
appreciated its convenient location, down-to-earth atmosphere and the
friendly, helpful manager, my wife Katie.
When
the owner of the business decided he wanted out of the comic book
retail business, he offered to sell it to Katie first. At the time I was
working as a machinist with little to no job satisfaction and even less
opportunity for advancement. Now my experience was certainly not in
business management, but I knew comic books, having been a lifelong
comic book consumer and enthusiast. Convincing Katie to buy the business
and forsake the security of a weekly paycheck was much easier than
securing the loan to make it happen. However, we eventually prevailed in
finding a financial institution smart enough to identify us as two
enthusiastic entrepreneurs willing to do what it took to succeed.
Our
first year in business was fantastic, our loyal clientele stayed loyal
and the publishers stayed in business. Business was so good that we were
looking for a new identity (the name Comics Plus just didn't do it for
me) and a bigger location where the business would have more room to
grow. By chance we lucked on a piece of prime retail space at the far
east edge of the business district. In July of 2002, the newly renamed
Green Brain Comics took up residence at 13210 Michigan Avenue,
quadrupling our retail space and creating a new era of comic book
retailing.
Nine months into our second year in the new location,
the Wayne County Road Commission started a three-and-a-half-year-long
reconstruction project of Michigan Ave., centered directly in front of
our new storefront. Sales tanked as only the most loyal customers braved
the mountainous piles of debris, construction equipment and traffic
snarls. That's about when I realized we needed to make some new friends.
I
first met then Dearborn Mayor Michael Guido at a public forum to
address the concerns of local businesses and residents regarding the
construction project. There was only so much he could offer in the way
of help for those of us struggling with these adversities, but
everything he offered I accepted.
And I should mention that I was
joined at that public forum by another business owner and friend from
the district, Windy Weber, co-owner of Stormy Records with her husband Carl Hultgren, or more popularly known as Windy & Carl. We were pals and fellow victims of the construction project.
Within
a year from that meeting, Windy and Carl had moved Stormy Records into
the vacant second floor over top of Green Brain Comics, the much delayed
construction cleared, and Michigan Avenue had reopened. This was the
spring of 2006, and within a year the Great Recession hit Michigan hard.
Thankfully, with the relationships created and the experiences gained,
we were prepared. And by a long series of careful adjustments,
consolidations and the continued rethinking of business practices and
purchases, we have weathered economic situations that forced more than a
few companies out of business.
The future of comic retailing
Much
like the challenges faced by the music industry caused by the digital
music player and file sharing, today the comic book industry must
confront eerily similar dilemmas. Digital comics both legal and pirated
have moved in to slowly but surely take their share of the audience.
The comic book publishers have learned how important it is to transition
into these new markets, but where does that leave the brick and mortar
stores?
Years ago, my wife Katie and I decided that we would do
our best to stand out in a crowd and make Green Brain Comics a unique
destination. We declared that the focus would be solely on comic books,
graphic novels, and the experience of shopping for them. This meant
creating a distinctive atmosphere, making it user friendly, and
incorporating as many exciting products and events as we can (creator appearances, art exhibits, comic jams, and our annual Free Comic Book Day Celebration)
to add value to every visit while enticing new customers to try
something incomparable: my favorite original American art form, the
comic book.
In a way, this early business philosophy helped set
us up for the future of comic retailing, a future which may already be
upon us.
Later this year Diamond Comics Distribution, the biggest
comic book distribution service, will begin providing a system for
retailers to sell download redemption codes for digital comic books.
Now, using a service like that might help usher in a new era, a grand
new renaissance for this once proud colossus that in its heyday sold
millions of copies, but now struggles to hit 100k print runs.
Or we stick to the plan, the plan that saw us through some of the most turbulent economic times in American history.
Much
like our pals Windy and Carl that still sell vinyl records at Stormy
Records, on the floor above our shop, I have an unrelenting faith in our
product. Physical comic books are to digital comics as record albums
are to mp3s. Comic books are best experienced in a comfortable chair,
not hunched over a desk or running on a treadmill. Sure, digital comics
look nice, and they sure get a lot of attention, but I don't need to
recharge my copy of the Watchmen graphic novel between each chapter.
What
it really comes down to for us is being a physical store that sells
products to physical people. We are building a community with those
people, and creating a unique experience that draws you in and makes you
feel a part of something special.
Now I'm not declaring that our
future business model will mandate a download-free zone. But what I am
saying is that we sell comic books. WE SELL COMIC BOOKS!