We are all marking the one-year event of our entire world changing overnight. In the world of comics stuff like this happens all the time - the event ends and everyone goes about their life. Literally, in Fantastic Four #50 the day after they defeat Galactus Johnny Storm puts on a suit and tie and goes to his first day of college…
That kind of trauma wouldn’t be easy to set aside. And, I think it’s pretty clear that the world will never be the same again for a variety of reasons but I wanted to take a moment to offer some personal reflection and give you all an update. We had been in business for three years at this point which is when businesses start thinking if they can make it to their fifth year. We had spent a lot of time getting the store ready to host more events, getting the second floor built out to host game events and a snack shop in the kitchen. April 1 was the go date to open the whole thing up and breathe new life into the shop.
We just bought a new keg, glasses were purchased and we were going to sell three dollar beers to all of our customers. We finally got into a good groove where we knew how to run the type of business we were building. Quickly it all changed and we had to develop a new business in conditions unlike anyone had seen in over 100 years. I don’t need to go into the depths of detail about the emotional state of that moment because we were all in it. There wasn’t a human being that didn’t express some sort of dread and uncertainty one year ago.
We did what a lot of other businesses did - we chipped in with what resources we had and we helped out. We filled little libraries, we did deliveries, we did markdowns. Through all that there was the sense that this will be over come summer, maybe in the fall. But as the months kept dragging on we kept having to reinvent ourselves to stay in the game.
The bright spot was when we opened the doors and allowed customers back in. Though it was terrifying because we didn’t know what would happen we were taking every safety precaution imaginable and we didn’t know when we would have to shut down again. We had some scares, and only one of our staffers contracted COVID-19 (not on the job) but we made it through for the time being.
Make no mistake - this year was hard. Extremely hard. But we’re not an outlier. We’re all going through it together and we’re all in this together. So when we saw you pushing ahead it kept pushing us ahead.
This year has been exhausting mentally and physically but we can’t help but be hopeful as each day passes. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel and every day we are building one step at a time to re-open. The comedy shows will come back, Pokémon and D&D games and classes will be back, FREE COMIC BOOK DAY will be bigger than ever, our second floor will be open and flying spaghetti monster willing our second location will be open.
Our customers are literally what has kept us going throughout this entire ordeal, both financially and emotionally. You’ve made us proud to have this shop open and we’re working hard every day to make it better for you. Thanks for sticking with us through this tough year and we are looking forward to the years to come. So that’s it. It’s been tough but it’s going to end. Soon. We just need to keep doing our part and stay healthy.
With that, please stay safe, wear a mask, get vaccinated, see you soon.
