This is the first attempt at "straight reportage" I’ve ever made.

Also the last.

It reads fine...but it’s not really much of a TaW :)

A Look at the Eisner Nominees

This August, at the San Diego Comic Convention, the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailing Award was handed out. 15 retailers from all over the country "competed" for the top honor – sort of a retailer "Hall of Fame".

I'm of the opinion that, given that this award isn't a "who's better", or popularity contest, but rather a one-time "respect of your peers" honor, that the nominees in this case are equally important as the actual winners. (And, no, I'm not just saying this because I didn't win – former editor Don Butler can confirm that I suggested this the day the nominees were announced!) Since this issue of the Retailer should have a feature on the three winners, I took it upon myself to interview the other 12 nominees, and to try and show what makes these stores superlative.

I did brief phone interviews with each of the nominees, asking them two questions: What are the standout elements of your store that allowed you to be nominated for this award? and What piece of advice do you have for other retailers to help them get nominated next year? I'll move directly to the responses after one caveat: because of the time difference, and my deadline on this column, I was unsuccessful in getting in contact with anyone representing Forbidden Planet in London. I apologize for this in advance, and want to offer the opportunity for FP to write me at the address at the bottom of the page -- I'll run whatever comments you might want to add...

"Why were you nominated?"

Mike Pandalfo of Dr. Comics & Mr. Games in Oakland, California thinks that a comfortable environment is the key. Mike says, "We try to be more of a successful retail store than a hard-core comic book store. Because you say `comics store' and that turns people off, but you say `retail store' and then they're much more apt to come and check you out, and then they'll happen to see you have comics."

Central City Comics' (based in Columbus, Ohio) Steve Synder agrees: "We take a little bit different approach in retailing comics. My wife came up with a design, with a designer, six years ago. We put a lot of thought into our design: It's laid out like a Blockbuster. You feel comfortable in any of our shops that you went into, and know where the same things are. We have things laid out by comics genre, which makes it real easy for people to find books within the shop. And we work with our people – most of them love comics as a medium, and it comes across, but we work with them on how to engage customers. Not to make a hard sell, but how to make the customer feel at ease. Like your place of business is a friends house that they stop off at."

Store design is not simply throwing up some racks and calling it done. Thought and care needs to be put to what your store will be. Lyn Pederson of Page after Page in Las Vegas had this to say, "I've always approached retail with a commercial art slant. A lot of people in the business call me about doing those kinds of things. A lot of things we've been doing for years, like standees, are becoming a lot more commonplace for comic companies to do, once they get the budget for it. We've been going outside of the market for a long time: doing presentations at fairs, and home shows – anyplace where they wouldn't expect comics, to try and alert people to the fact that comics are changing, and it's not what they expected."

Echoing the need to create an identity, and expand your individual market is Joe Field from Flying Colors in Concord, California. Joe says, "I think one of the things we've done in the five years we've been open is that we've been able to establish our identity within the industry where publishers, distributors, and creators know that this is a store that is very reader-friendly; it's one that is very forward looking; it's one that is doesn't owe anything at all to speculators; and it's one that would rather sell one copy to 100 people than 100 copies to one person."

As I interviewed the retailers for this piece, certain ideas came up over and over. Speculation, and its effects are among our largest concerns. Most agree that the solution to this is diversification of product in your store, and the love of what you're doing. Says Mike Moynihan of Words & Pictures in Calgary of why he was nominated, "I think it's just a sincere honest appreciation for the medium. I love comics, and I feel that comes across in our store, with displays of particular works, and I think it comes across to our customers, that comics are not an investment thing, like bonds or stocks. We try to teach them that the comics are intrinsically worthwhile."

Three more votes for diversification are cast by Wayne Winsett of Time Warp in Boulder, Bob Gordon of Acme Books & Comics in Peoria, and Joesph Miller of The Comic Store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Wayne says, "I think our strongest point is that we carry a complete line of comics, not just the regular Marvel-DC-Image-Valiant type of stuff. We carry...well, not everything, but we have the largest stock of independent titles in the state." Bob Gordon concurs: "I try to work harder with doing small-press publications. I promote a lot of small-press stuff and carry other items outside of comics -- a lot of college-oriented stuff. My employees aren't totally immersed in superhero stuff – they read other things too." Joesph Miller adds, "I think people like seeing that kind of support. Even if we're handing one or two copies of real independent stuff, at least it's around, you can see it. Let me add too, that you've got to have a knowledgeable staff. We have a very small turnover. People come in, get their questions answered, get taken care of by people who they know will know what will fit their needs."

Bill Liebowitz of Golden Apple in Los Angeles gives these reasons for his nomination: "We fit all the criteria, and we're a very visible store. We've spent a lot of time, money and effort to promote ourselves, within the comic community, and outside, to attract new people in. We have a 4000-foot store that's stocked with all the breadth of product that's available from the regular distribution channels, plus a lot of extra stuff. We have a very pleasing environment, and we've done an awful lot of things in order to promote comics outside of the community, and to bring people in. We're probably the most visible store in the country." Very true – I've lost count of the number of TV shows that Bill has plugged comics on. Golden Apple is, in many ways, the "point-man" for our industry.

Deep in the heart of Killeen, Texas, Paper Heroes and John Christian don't have very many opportunities to appear on Entertainment Tonight. But he does give us the final "why were you nominated?" quote, and the one that reflects my personal feelings the most, "We were nominated by one of our customers, which is the thing I'm most proud of. He nominated us because of our Standard Operating Procedures: like fairness to our customers, not hiking up prices on `hot' books, our general business ethics that we try to work by, and the way we treat our customers." Hear, hear, John! Our customers are our blood.

The Advice

I'll let these comments stand on their own. See you at the bottom of the page.

Bill Liebowitz: "The first thing is definition. Find out what kind of a store you want to be, and who your audience is, and what kind of services you want to provide for that audience. You've got to understand what it is that you want to do. There's all sorts of a range of different kinds of stores that are available now, and you can pick and choose what your store's personality is going to be, and what your objectives are. Once you do that, it should just be a natural process to accomplish those objectives. I think that a lot of people just go into business and don't take a lot of time, own their own, to think what their objectives are, and who their customers are."

Lyn Pederson: "One thing I've really learned recently: advertise. The industry is talking about doing a national advertising campaign - talking about spending millions on this thing, and I think that's a good idea. But that's probably some years down the road. I would tell everybody out there to get an advertising budget of his or her own, and to use it. We don't need to go out there and spend a million dollars. We need to spend a hundred dollars, regularly. Also, don't necessarily use publisher co-op ads. I've seen the print ads, and the television ads, and they don't advertise my store. It's very nice of them to try to help us, but I would prefer the ads to be more store, with a sprinkling of their product. You don't get any personality of your store out there."

John Christian: "Put the customer first. Always remember what it's like to be on the other side of the counter. Think of the long-term, and treat your customers right, for the long-term growth of your business, not just trying to make the quick buck."

Mike Pandalfo: "Look at things from more of a retail standpoint, than a comic book store standpoint, if that makes any sense?"

Steve Snyder: "Go into business. It's important that you have a passion in what you're dealing in, that's what separates the men from the boys right now. But, treat things as a business, and do things to promote comics as a medium. Do a lot of community work -- we're a flavor of entertainment that a lot of people don't know about, and the more people we can get to know about it, the more sales we're going to have. We just started a library program with 65 different libraries in our area, where we're giving them 5 comic books, four they get to choose, and one we choose for them. We're spending five dollars each on 65 new places to get comics exposed. Through this I've gotten six speaking engagements between now and January. I did one presentation with a Boy Scout troop, and word spread like wildfire -- these people are looking for people to come in and put on quality presentations!"

Joe Field: "Try to see forest for the trees – What is good for your store is what is good for the future of the comics industry, and I say that on a commercial level, as well as an artistic level. You should have a wider view when you take a look at what to with your store. It is very difficult for stores that are undercapitalized, and probably 75-90% are stores in this business are under-capitalized. It's very difficult for these stores to weigh in factors from every segment of the business when you're having a difficult time paying your distributor bills. What you have to realize is that if you want to be able to pay your distributor bill, you really need to pay attention to all the creative forces at work in the comics business."

Bob Gordon: "Try and expand your market, and don't do it just by carrying role-playing games and trading cards. To the general public, that stills ties into a general comics store. I carry Escher prints, Pez candy, Einstein Posters, Three Stooges items, monster magazines, other stuff that ties into the nostalgia and collectible thing. I use Diamond, and they do a great job for me, but I use them just as my comics source – there's a million other channels to get posters, and T-shirts, and merchandise from, less expensive, and more timely – and you can always get reorders on it."

Joesph Miller: "Get to know your area, and your clientele – that's what you're got to go for. But at the same time, you need to expand it by sharing other things, turning people on to something rather than the latest issue of Spider-Man."

Mike Moynihan: "Promote things that you're genuinely interested in, and take the time to read a new comic. If you like it, let your customers know."

Wayne Winsett: "Go out of your way to find out what the people want. I can carry what I like in the store, but I'm not necessarily an expert on what everybody else is going to like. You have to give them options, and let them see what they can get. You have to definitely keep up on everything that's in print right now, and educate yourself."

When taken together, here's the sense I made of this: Define your store, present yourself as something special. Carry a wide range of material, appealing to a diverse of an audience as you are able. Advertise yourself. Make sure that you and your staff are educated about the breadth of material available. Make sure you have ethical business practices. Be a part of your community.

All sound advice, from many of the "leaders" of the field. Take it to heart, and maybe next year, you will be an Eisner Nominee!