Retailers Doin’ It Right – Part 1

Today we shine the spotlight on Lee’s Comics. What Lee brings to the industry is vision. I’ve watched his movements through market shifts for about 12 years now and one thing has remained constant. Lee has an image of what he wants the consumer experience to be like and he executes against that idea to make it a reality for us. His stores simply kick ass. When I walk into a Lee’s Comics location, I calmly muse to myself “Ah, this is how it’s supposed to be.” How could a person not like comics if they were exposed to this place?

The vibe has been cultivated by logical design, freedom of space, and ease of use. It’s warm and intuitive. It looks like an impressive bastion of retail, but is still very welcoming to the untrained eye. Amazing lighting washes over a clean atmosphere and extremely well organized graphic storytelling arena. Great signage denoting new books up front, an expansive array of trades and hardcovers lining the shelves which are broken out by creator or company, and Golden & Silver Age books on the wall. A broad selection in terms of both depth and breadth, evidenced in part by a handsome small press area.

Crafty events attempting to expand the readership. He gets that this is not an option, but a necessity. I see flyers in independent book stores and movie theatre lobbies for signings. And there’s always a sale within a few weeks and a standing discount table with selected items! Thanks for sharing your vision with us, Lee.