There is plenty of bad news in the media these days, including in the comics press, about the death of the medium and the number of comics shops closing or dropping single issues. But here are Ladies of Valhalla we want to celebrate some good news, and what better news than the opening of a bigger and better LCS* in the beautiful cathedral city of Chichester – aka my current home town!
I’ve been frequenting Comics Games & Coffee Emporium on North Street in Chichester since they first opened four year ago, and have made many wonderful friends and acquaintances amongst both staff and customers – it’s a little like walking in to Cheers for those of you old enough to catch that reference.
Thanks in no small part to a thriving local gaming community, and well-stocked shelves they have recently expanded into a bigger shop, closer to the centre of town, with a dedicated gaming room and plenty of space for back issues.
Many customers, myself included, chipped in to lend a hand to get the store ready to open, and I am particularly proud of the fact that all the trade paperbacks and graphic novels are in alphabetical order – no-one go in and mess them up! Plus this new store means there is space for a dedicated mang section, and a seperate area for childrens and young people books. There is also an expanded selection of board games, a whole corner dedicated to Pop! Vinyl figures, and space for more tabletop and RPG games than you can shake a stick at.
The store runs regular gaming nights for D&D, Star Wars X-Wing, Yu-Gi-Oh and more, and generally post the details on their Facebook page so that gamers can keep up and get registered. While I’m not that big a gamer I spend enough time in the shop that many of them know me now, and they’re always happy to have a chat about comics, movies and whatever TV show I’ve caught up on six months after everyone else in the world!
I’ve been through the mill a bit in the last year or so, and especially the last six week, and the staff and customers at CGC have been absolute rocks for me, offering up coffee, hugs or Wifi just at the times I need them the most. It seems the least I can do to celebrate their achievement of moving on to bigger and better things. Anyone who listened to the Talking Comics Best of the Year Awards show will have heard me mention that I had no home internet for much of December and January, and despite everything that they had going on, Owen, Matt and Ali were kind enough to give me a “second home” when I needed it.
*LCS = local comics store for those not familiar with the acronym!
Tell us about your local comics store in the comments or on social media, and share the love for you LCS – I’d love to find more stores to visit and write about!