At The Counter #21: Collecting As A Retailer And Learning A Whole Profession

Welcome back to At The Counter, where our features editor Tony Thornley chats with comics retailer veteran Greg Gage of Salt Lake City’s Black Cat Comics. As the year winds down, we get to chat about retail’s busiest time of the year, as well as the evolving journey over the last 22 years.

Tony Thornley: Happy November! You ready for the busiest time of the year?

Greg Gage: I am! No, I’m not. I’m never ready. I don’t think anyone is, especially my parking lot…

Tony: It’s been three months now, hasn’t it? And probably another year plus before it’s done, no? (Note: The city of Salt Lake is expanding its light rail service to directly in front of Black Cat — which would be great if it didn’t eliminate literally all of the parking to Black Cat, the theater across the street, and multiple other shops and restaurants.)

As we transition from Halloween into Thanksgiving and Christmas, how do you get the store ready?

Greg: There’s a lot to do. We’re just finishing up with our October back issue sale, and that’s made a ton of room out there for new back issues, so now I just have to price several thousand more and get them out, not to mention cleaning the store head to toe, displaying as much as possible that may look like a stocking-stuffer or surprise for Christmas.

Tony: Just remember what I like when my wife comes in looking for something for me!

Running your own small business, you have to wear so many hats on your own. I think this time of year that becomes so much more prominent. How do find balance in being the operations, finance, marketing and human resources manager all at once?

Greg: By working 70 hours a week. Seriously. If you want to own a shop and don’t want to do so much overtime it makes you cry, don’t own a shop. I try to break things up a bit. I’m sure you’ve noticed in real time how long it takes me to answer these questions. I’ll unpack a few boxes, stock some books, price some stuff, then come back to it. The way my fractured little brain works, that’s what’s needed. If I break it up a little, everything seems a little more doable when I get back to it.

Tony: I definitely think one of the most interesting things about running your own business is doing your own marketing. When you got started, how did you learn how to market the business?

Greg: Quite a bit of trial and a whole bunch of error. I opened in 2004, so the marketing world was very very different. There wasn’t social media, maybe MySpace, but that’s about it. I tried radio, print, all kinds of stuff. I realized that the best bang for my buck and time was guerilla marketing. Flyers on community boards were a big thing that got a lot of attention. Mostly, though, with comic shops, it’s word of mouth. You can advertise all you want, but if you have a reputation of being a dishonest or unfriendly shop, people will know. The comic community is a super small community. A lot of us know each other, and pretty much everyone knows of each other.

Tony: Was this a role that came naturally or did it take a lot of effort to learn?

Greg: Learning curve, for sure. Growing up, it was TV, newspaper, and radio. That was it. My thinking, naturally, was to come in, do some media advertising, and then it would all come together. Turns out, not exactly. I did a little bit of print ads in local, more underground papers, but then realized it wasn’t really bringing back in what I was spending. I had to adjust accordingly.

Tony: Right now, what’s been the best way of getting the word out there?

Greg: As much as I despise the whole concept of it, social media. If you have a few thousand followers and you put out a signing announcement or something, and you get a fraction of those people in, that’s still a great return for advertising that doesn’t cost anything (except that stupid Meta thing they’re doing with businesses now. It’s not like Zuckerberg needs more money, am I right? I mean, seriously, how much … sorry. Off topic)

Tony: (Just a note about what he’s referring to: Apparently Meta has implemented a new policy charging business owners for posting more than 2 links per month on business pages…)

How have you best been able to keep up with changing times?

Greg: By and large, by not changing. I keep the store comic focused. The real thing is to just listen. Like I’ve said before, if you listen to some of the comic trends, you’ll be fine. For example, I stock more manga than I used to because it’s seeing a huge resurgence lately. You have to be careful, though, because you can’t return unsold books. 

Tony: You’ve talked a lot in the past year about how you got into the business because you’re a fan. One thing I’m curious though is how being a retailer has changed you as a fan and collector. What’s been the number one thing that being a retailer has changed about you as a collector?

Greg: I’m almost out of room at my house. The big thing that’s changed is access to so many more titles than I ever had access to before. And a lot of creators will reach out with their new books, so I get that advance look at some really cool things. It is great to be able to be exposed to so many smaller, indie, super enjoyable titles.

Tony: Has insider knowledge shifted your attitudes about publishers or creators?

Greg: Definitely. Some of both (no names) are so motivated by greed and the money side of things that it seems like the whole artistic aspect of it has come in second. I’m not naive. I know that it’s a business, and if you don’t make money, you’re gone. I mean, I’m not coming into the store to not sell things. It’s how I make a living. But when it seems the only motivation is to get a movie made or have 200 variants than nobody on earth can collect, it can be a bit much.

Tony: I’m sure some people would think “if I owned a shop, I could buy everything instead of having a budget!” Has that ever been a temptation and how have you stopped yourself from falling into that trap if so?

Greg: Not only a temptation, but a reality. I’ve had to cull my own collection a little bit. I realize that, yes, I love Spider-Man, but I don’t need all the Spider-Man. I don’t enjoy it all, so why take it home to just take up space? My main thing now is that I have to enjoy everything I take home. If not, there’s a place I can get rid of it.

Tony: What’s been the most egregious moment of internal conflict between you as a retailer and you as a collector?

Greg: The collection culling. Part of me wants to have the biggest collection on the planet. I want everything. I had to separate myself from that and realize that, like I said before, if I’m not liking what I have, what’s the point of having it?

Tony: What might be your advice for anyone looking at this side of the equation?

Greg: Be careful. It’s easy to think that having a shop is all fun and games, and a lot of the time it is, but it’s also a job. You know the saying, “if you love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life”? Not really true. I will say, though, I never regret it. No matter what brain-smashingly ridiculous thing I have to deal with here, at least I’m dealing with it for myself. It’s so much better than working 60 or 70 hours a week for somebody else!

Black Cat Comics is on the web at https://blackcat-comics.com/ and via all the usual social media channels. If you live in or are visiting the Salt Lake City area, you can visit the store at 2261 Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84106, or call Greg and his team at (801) 461-4228.