The vibe at my local shop changed completely in about six months. It's all about the new grading service.

3 comments

3 Comments

Ugh, that's the worst. My comic shop got weirdly quiet when they started pushing slabbed books hard. Just feels like a showroom now.

amy8583mo agoMost Upvoted

Actually see it the other way around. My local shop started doing more slabs and it brought in a whole new crowd. The regulars still hang out and talk books, but now there's also collectors who get really excited about the graded stuff. It feels like the shop is trying to stay open by selling to different kinds of customers. That quiet might just be people being careful around expensive glass cases, not a lack of community.

nora102mo ago

Not really buying that, to be honest. Those glass cases change the whole vibe of a shop. I've seen it happen at two different stores near me. The regulars who used to hang out and flip through bins start to feel like they're in the way. The new crowd just stares at prices and doesn't talk to anyone. The shop might sell more, but it loses that feeling where you could spend an hour just chatting with the owner about what's coming out next week.