Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 12:46:11 -0500 To: [c--m--x] at [facteur.std.com] From: [r w boyd] at [crocker.com] (Robert William Boyd) Subject: an annotated list of non-comics stores that sell comics -Poster: [r w boyd] at [crocker.com] (Robert William Boyd) I've been working on this list for a while, and I promised to send it to some folks. I hadn't gotten around to it, but the Diamond news makes it seem much more urgent. I'm posting this on the list so that anyone who wants to use it may do so. In some cases, I have detailed information about the store. In some cases, I just have a name. I hope people find this useful. Non-comics stores that sell comics compiled by Robert Boyd Quoted remarks come from other people who have been to these places (thanks very much). Everything else is mine. If anyone wants to add comments or additional stores, please feel free to e-mail the information to me at [r w boyd] at [crocker.com] Arizona Stalking Moon Bookstore 6402-1 W. Glendale Glendale, AZ 85301 I think this is a bookstore that specializes in indie magazines, books, and 'zines. California The Soap Plant/La Luz de Jesus Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA This place is an art gallery/bookstore/knick-knack store. They sell a small selection of graphic novels, but could definitely do better. This place is definitely the lifestyle store for the "hip-eoisie" in L.A. Dark Delicacies Burbank, CA "[One of] two shops in LA that cater to the darker side and have and do carry comics. [Note, this may not be in Burbank. If not, try Glendale, Pasadena, or LA.]" Dark's Art Parlour 1405 N. Main Street Santa Ana, CA 92701 714.647.9733 Deep Groove 729 Chapala St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.963.6207 Plastic Passion 430 State St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.965.5050 Penny Lane Los Angeles, CA Rhino Records Westwood Los Angeles, CA Not the record company, but the record store. No Life Record Shop 7209 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90046 (213) 845-1200 They carry records and have some magazines. They might be willing to carry a small selection of comics. "I would also try coffee shops that target the arty college types, like: Van Gogh's Ear Venice, CA [Venice is part of L.A.] Nova Express Fairfax Los Angeles, CA [This is near trendy Melrose Ave.] Highland Grounds Highland Los Angeles, CA [This is also near Melrose. I've never seen them carry magazines, but they might be persuaded. Cool place.] Bourgeois Pig Los Angeles, CA Insomnia Los Angeles, CA [I never went here, but I went by it a lot. It seemed a little upscale from the outside.] Congo Square Santa Monica, CA Cafe Siena 1101 State St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101 805.963.7344 Illinois Quimby's Queer Store Chicago, IL Very cool store selling underground magazines, 'zines, and some comics. "There are some independent record stores in Chicago that carry a few comics with their magazines, let's see, these I know: Blackout Records Chicago 312-296-0744 Earwax (cafe/video rental/records) 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 312-772-4019 "Earwax's menu features Clowes, Prewitt, LaBan, etc., they used to mini jams there, and they have a rack of minis, zines, and a few comics." Reckless (2 stores) Chicago 312-404-5080 312-235-3727 Ajax Chicago 312-773-6365 "Other probables (I don't know/can't remember if they carry comics, but prob. do/would): Quaker Goes Deaf Chicago 312-252-9334 Dr. Wax Chicago 312-493-8696 312-549-3377 847-475-8848 Vintage Vinyl Chicago 847-328-2899 "In bookstores, you might try 57th St. Books Chicago 312-684-1300 Barbara's Bookstore Chicago 312-642-5044 312-477-0411 708-848-9140 312-222-0890 "57th St. does carry some comics, and I think Barbara's does, too, but I'm not sure." Urbus Orbis (Coffee Shop) 1934 W. North Ave. Chicago, IL 312.252.4446 "Urbus Orbis has pretty much the same thing [as Earwax]." Pop Era Chicago, IL "[I] don't have address handy, [but it's] across street from Urbus Orbis. [They carry] books and memorabilia. Pop Era had a large selection of Undergrounds and similar last time I was in there, but it's been a little while." The Stars Our Destination 1021 W. Belmont Ave. Chicago, IL 60657-3302 (312) 871-2722 (312) 871-6816 FAX [s--a--s] at [sfbooks.com] "A sci-fi bookstore with a decent comic/TPB selection." Indiana Earwax. (812) 332-9612, 109 E. Kirkwood, Bloomington, IN "Neo-head shop (hookas, plaster Buddha statues, incense, hemp-wear, etc.) and used vinyl emporium. They have a magazine rack stocked with back issues of Hate, Eightball, Naughty Bits, Freak Brothers, Zap, and some others (including Dirty Plotte, Cud, No Hope). They order through Last Gasp. They like comics, but they're a low priority, and sell very slowly except for the more well-known ones. They only know when a new issue comes out when I show my latest purchases to a friend that works there." Book Corner. (812) 339-1522, (800) 595-0000. 100 N. Walnut., Bloomington, IN "Independent (but not underground) downtown book store that serves as the main downtown magazine stand. Lately, they've been getting some comics, presumably via someone like Fine Print. From talking to a manager, I think the ordering is done at random, or based on customer requests and shelf space, rather than out of any knowledge of or care for comics. Titles typically on hand include TCJ, Zero Zero (no other Fantagraphics titles, though), Drawn & Quarterly (just the anthology), ComicsLit, just about all the recent Slave Labor releases (except for Vado's superhero book), Hothead Paisan, Boiled Angel, Girlhero, and Too Much Coffee Man." Daisybrain Media Center & Gallery. (812) 337-8297. 103 E. 6th., Bloomington, IN "Hip, cool art gallery that keeps a few comics collections in the display case under the register, probably more because the people who run it like the comics than because they ever sell. These are Love & Rockets, Bagge, and Clowes collections, along with some pins and coffee mugs." Missing Link Records. Indianapolis, IN. They're a large, prominent indie-rock/used album store. I don't recall them having much by the way of comics (possibly because they're a not far from a comic store with a large selection) but they have zines and I recall seeing at least a few zine-type comics (stuff like Hothead Paisan and King Cat). But it's been several months since I've been up there." Kansas The Love Garden Lawrence, KS "One of the finest record stores in the Midwest. They don't carry a lot of comics at the Love Garden, but they do have Hate and Action Girl and Eightball and a few others, and my guess is that they would be receptive to some of Kitchen Sink's stuff. They carry some zines, too--again, not a lot, but they dabble." Kentucky The Great Escape Louisville, KY "There's one in Nashville Tennessee and one in Louisville Kentucky. they have lots of good used vinyl and CD's and good new releases. and an excellent comic-book assortment. lots of collectibles and back issues and tons of new stuff." Maryland Atomic Books 229 W Read St. Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 728-5490 This place is mostly a bookstore (as I understand it), and has a snazzy mail-order catalog. I've never been there, but a friend of mine says it's his favorite bookstore anywhere. Missouri Vintage Vinyl 6610 Delmar St. Louis, MO 63130 (314) 721-4096 "Long-standing fixture of the U-City Loop area with an outstanding selection of new and used CDs/albums/tapes...not to mention a large rack of alternative publications like Fantagraphics stuff. They might already carry Kitchen Sink stuff." Left Bank Books 399 N. Euclid Ave. St. Louis, MO 63108 (314) 367-6731 One of the few surviving 'small' bookstores here -- trying to fight off the Borders', Barnes & Noble, etc. competition that recently cropped up. They've got a large section devoted to 'alternative' lifestyles, along with a small group of collected-edition comix. I remember marveling at the fact that you could find Alan Moore volumes under 'M' in the regular fiction section, too." New Jersey Cheap Thrills New Brunswick, NJ "It's right by Rutgers and is a record store (I think I've seen the Crumb album there) and is the first place I ever saw WW3 [a political underground comic], Brutarian [mag featuring Doug Allen and Gary Leib] and those sort of zines (big range of quality) and recently I saw some local fanzines and comixy looking things, but was in a rush and didn't have the time to check them out." New York See/Hear (7th St. between 1st and 2nd aves, I think) "[See/Hear] mostly stocks fanzines (most of which are about music), but they have a sizable selection of alternative comics (one bookshelf, which is about 1/5 of the display space). They keep most of the issues available, too, which is cool." Other Music 15 East 4th Street New York, NY 10003 (212) 477-8150 "I found a shop that is a record store that has a small selection of alternative comics, like Hate, Eightball, Acme Novelty, etc." Shakespeare & Co., and they have two locations - 2259 Broadway, NYC, NY 10024, (212) 580-7800 and 716 Broadway, NYC, NY 10003, (212) 529-1330. "I was purchasing some books, and we were discussing the difficulty of getting graphic novels in regular bookstores. I said something like, "Bookstore buyers are very resistant to buying graphic novels." When I said this, the woman behind the counter said, "Not ours!" And this is true; this bookstore had a lot of graphic novels." Ohio Monkey's Retreat Columbus, Ohio "{Here in Columbus] there is a little counter-culture type store called Monkey's Retreat that sells a healthy amount of comics. (A lot of old Crumbs, Pekars, Yummy Fur, Eros, From Hell, etc.)" Oregon CounterMedia (503) 226-8141 This store just opened, and it is destined to be one of the best alternative stores ever. The owner is Charlie Boucher, who used to publish the excellent 'zine CounterMedia. Reading Frenzy Portland, OR This is supposed to be a really cool store that just opened. Ozone Records Portland, OR Cool downtown record store. Probably don't carry many comics, but could be persuaded to carry more. Head East Portland, OR A head shop with some underground comics (and a no-doubt unauthorized image of Freewheelin' Franklin' of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers on their sign) Green Noise Records 468 Willamette St. Eugene, OR 97401 (541) 683-1584 I don't really know anything about this store except that their business card says they sell "New & Used LPs, CDs, tapes. Punk Garages Indie Pop! Comic Books, Too..." And the card was drawn by an excellent cartoonist named Ward Sutton Hungry Head Books Eugene, OR Pennsylvania BBC Records 315 N. Queen St. Lancaster, PA 717-394-1145 "Although it's a small store, they have quite an interesting collection. Virtually every issue of Weirdo, Hate, Eightball, Love and Rockets, etc. I usually go there to get issues of Acme Novelty Libraries." Tennessee The Great Escape Nashville, TN "There's one in Nashville Tennessee and one in Louisville Kentucky. they have lots of good used vinyl and CD's and good new releases. and an excellent comic-book assortment. lots of collectibles and back issues and tons of new stuff." Texas The University Co-op Austin, TX This is the U.T. bookstore. "[It] has a good magazine selection, and they carry some alternative comics--but not enough and not consistently, and they don't seem to know how to display them, so they don't sell as well as they should." Blast Comics Austin, TX "The best thing to happen to Austin re alternative comics has been Blast Comics on the Drag. It's a small store in the back of a coffee shop; they actually specialize in alternative comics. There's even a big colorful sign out front with Frank the Cat, Jimmy Corrigan, and other alternative luminaries on it. Needless to say, it is a favorite hangout of mine. I avoid all other comic shops like the plague." Forbidden Books and Video Dallas, TX Sound Exchange 1718 Westheimer Houston, TX 77006 713-981-9951 "Great record shop, good people. (ask for Kurt.) They get all their comix from Last Gasp & Fantagraphics currently. They have 2 other locations around city, and sister store in Austin across from UT on The Drag (complete with giant Daniel Johnson mural)." I personally spent hundreds of dollars on books, comix, and underground magazines here when I was a high school and college student. Dream Merchant 1658 Westheimer Houston, TX 77006 713-520-0076 "Kewl clothing mostly. Chain w/several shops around town, including some in malls." Smoke & Toke 9376 Richmond Houston, TX 77063 713-781-0954 "Head shop, chain." Bizarre Bazaar 6326 Richmond Houston, TX 77057 713-974-2723 " 'Alternative' clothes & stuff chains with locations in Clear Lake City, also." High Times 6881 Gessner Dr. Houston, TX 77036 713-777-1783 "Head shop, chain." Paraphernalia 2602 Waugh Houston, TX 77006 713-521-3625 "Art & framing shop, sells Kozik and Coop-type posters, too." Washington Fallout Records Seattle, WA You already know about them now. Carries books, records, and comics. This store has been a prime nexus of Seattle underground culture since long before Nirvana and Pearl Jam hit it big. Russ Bataglia is a real scene-maker in Seattle. Roadrunner Coffeehouse 2123 N. 40th Seattle, WA 98103 (206) 547-3559 This place is mainly an espresso joint. But they also sell underground comix. Vox Populi Seattle, WA This is an art gallery that shows a lot of comix art. I bet they'd really be into any Todd Schorr and Robt. Williams stuff we have, as well as other KSP underground/alternative stuff. Pistil 1013 E. Pike Seattle, WA (206) 325-5401 Cool bookstore with an OK selection of comics. I suspect they get them either from Fine Print or Last Gasp. On a hyper-trendy street in Seattle with tons of foot traffic from the pierced alternative crowd. Ontario, Canada Shake Records 150 Laurier Avenue East Ottawa (613) 230-5214 "They're a music shop [CD's, tapes & records] which also carries alternative music-related comics, mini comix, zines and magazines." Birdman Sounds 593-B Bank Street Ottawa (613) 233-0999 "They're also a music shop which carries a few minis and zines." Crosstown Traffic 386 Richmond Road Ottawa (613) 722-4664, Mike Foster "They're the only head shop in Ottawa, which also carries a load of music, alternative comics and mini comix." Quebec, Canada Librarie Nebula 1832 Ste-Catherine West Montreal, Quebec H3H 1M1 CANADA (514) 932-3930 e-mail [n--bu--a] at [cam.org] "This is the best comics store in Montreal. They do very well at getting about 95% of all the comics I would like to see a store get (FBI, DQ, KSP, and self-pub'ed) and carry no Image or Marvel and little DC. They make most of their money as a horror/mystery/sci-fi/media bookstore with the comics occupying a space at the back (and in the front window)." Danger! 3968 St-Laurent Montreal, Quebec H2W 1Y3 CANADA (514) 286-2998 email: [n--bu--a] at [cam.org] "This is the sister store of Nebula, much more trendy and more slightly upscale. It sells primarily fringe culture/cyber-stuff and academic journals and books from a number of cultural studies fields. Their comics stock is somewhat smaller than Nebula (they don't carry the sci-fi content that Nebula does for instance) but they do extremely well with trades on stuff by Los Bros or Crumb or even people like Justin Green. Danger! is voted "Hippest Book Store" in the local arts weeklies every year and probably do the best job in town of bringing good comics to an audience that would normally never see them." "Both stores are owned by Claude Lalumiere. Claude is a longtime fan who carries comics more as an interest than as a way to make money (Indeed, he often tells me that considering the time he wastes chasing Diamond and Cap City around for stuff he's probably losing money on comics. He has thought once or twice about dumping them because the direct market is so obtuse). Claude will push a book he likes like a madman, as will his staff. This has lead to a point where they can sell Acme Novelty Library in the triple digits per issue, for example." "The person who does the ordering for Nebula is Keith Logan, also very indy friendly. The person at Danger! is, I think, someone named Phil. If you want to contact either of these stores directly I'd try to reach Claude first and then either of the others." _________________________________________________________________ To leave this mailing list, send mail to [m--r--o] at [world.std.com] with the message UNSUBSCRIBE COMIX