GREAT NEWS for all readers: a Reading comic book store is turning the page on a new chapter today by moving to bigger and better premises.
Crunch Comics opened in the Harris Arcade in January 2017, capturing the boom in the industry, fuelled by box office blockbusters from Marvel. The independent store based sells the latest comics, graphic novels, T-shirts and collectibles.
And today it has moved to a larger unit in the arcade, which is off Friar Street, just in time for the release of the new Spider-man film, Far From Home.
Brian Wong, who owns Crunch Comics, said that the move comes after seeing the business grow thanks to a steady stream of regular customers.
Today’s opening coincides with Local Comic Shop Day, an annual event held close to the US holiday of Thanksgiving, and the traditional start to the festive shopping season the United States.
Comic publishers such as Marvel, DC, Image and Boom support Local Comic Shop Day by publishing limited quantities of special edition comics available for sale exclusively at participating stores, including Crunch Comics.
“We’re moving a few units down into another space in the Harris Arcade,” Mr Wong said. “The covid pandemic has adversely impacted the retailers in Harris Arcade, which has traditionally been a hub of independent businesses in Reading town centre.
“Unfortunately, a number of businesses in the arcade have had to close.
“I have mixed feelings about moving to a new store. On the one hand, there are real benefits: the new space is larger – so there’s more room for customers to browse and I’m hoping to increase our children’s section of comic books as well as our range of graphic novels, back issue comics and manga.
“Plus, there’s storage space upstairs, so no more tripping over comic boxes.
“On the other hand, it’s a real shame to leave our cosy store which has been our home for the past five years, and we’ll have to reluctantly say goodbye to the Crunch Comics wall mural.”
He added: “We’re coinciding our opening day with Local Comic Shop Day, and this will be our fourth year participating in the event. Local Comic Shop Day is less well known than Free Comic Book Day, but it’s an event to celebrate independent bricks and mortar comic shops, and comic publishers print exclusive LCSD special edition comics that will only be available for sale at local comic shops on the day.”
There is a potential fly in the ointment: the pandemic has caused issues to the supply of comics. This includes issues with printers in the United States, a shortage of paper pulp and supply chain issues, but Mr Wong is confident that there are plenty of items in stock for people to enjoy.
“If the LCSD special edition comics don’t arrive on time, then at least we’ll have our opening day sale on regular bagged and boarded back issue comics, and discounts on our T-shirts and collectibles,” he said.
“We’ve also recently been nominated for the Small Business Saturday competition that our Reading East MP Matt Rodda is organising this year – so it’s nice to highlight the high street and independent retailers given the really challenging time with the Covid pandemic.”
For more details, log on to crunchcomics.com
