by Tim Nekritz | nekritz@gmail.com
Oswego’s iconic Comic Shop started a new chapter this spring as longtime customers and supporters Joe Samuels and John Weldin took over as new owners.
Opened by Arlene and Larry Spizman in an old firehouse on East Bridge Street in 1992, the shop has been a staple of the community for decades — especially while what started as niche interests in comics and games have become mainstream phenomena with big-budget blockbuster movies and other media.
With a focus on customer interest in comics, toys, collectables, games and more — as well as building a welcoming community — as a constant, the store itself has survived a changing landscape in the neighborhood and world around them.
At one point in the 1990s, the Comic Shop was one of the few businesses surviving, let alone thriving, along that stretch of the Route 104 East – Bridge Street corridor, although that has certainly changed more recently with many new establishments. They lost longtime neighbors A&J Music but you can find Master Pryor’s Taekwondo America studio next door now. Relatively new neighbors Stewart’s Shops now sit across East Sixth Street. Across Bridge Street, what was once Gary’s is newly opened Mendzetti’s Sports Bar. The blocks around have had stores come and go but are seeing better occupancy rates than many other years. And through all the change and community upgrades, the Comic Shop has served generations of customers.
Customers including Samuels and Weldin, each going back around three decades. Like many visitors, the future owners first came in because they were fans.
In the mid-’90s, Samuels had just become interested in a new Spider-Man Clone Saga comic series. “I found some issues somewhere and I needed some of the back issues filled in, so Arlene ordered them for me,” Samuels said. “And I’ve been hanging around ever since.”
“I spent the summers with my aunt, who lived two or three blocks from here, so I used to walk over here all the time,” Weldin said. “I really started buying stuff when she started selling Magic the Gathering cards.”
Magic the Gathering became Samuels’ first recurring role at the store, as he hosted a regular series where people could come together to enjoy and learn the playing-card role-playing game. Weldin became a regular and valuable participant, foreshadowing future collaborations between the two.
Comeback story
The Comic Shop almost had its final chapter when the Spizmans wanted to retire, but Evan Coy came to the rescue to buy the iconic business in early 2020. Then the pandemic hit, which closed the store just when it was just about to find footing under new ownership.
Martin Kinney, a longtime fixture running the store, noted that the paperwork for Coy to take ownership officially went through the week everything started closing down.
Realizing a need to pivot to keep the business going, Coy and Kinney worked with Samuels — who did web development for a living — to create a robust online platform to continue selling.
“They needed help to keep moving forward,” Weldin said. “And then probably about a year later, I came on to help Joe run the Magic events again.”
That led to them working together on Friday night prereleases with a regular standing Magic game series on Saturday. With a well-established partnership and an interest in potentially owning the store — which they first pondered when the Spizmans considered retirement — they felt comfortable saying yes when the opportunity to own the store became available.
“It felt like we had a reasonable shot at making it work, especially with our history here and the relationship we have with Martin and a lot of the other customers,” Weldin said.
With new ownership came the opportunity to re-evaluate what lines were working and what could bring more interest. A more robust set of Pokemon offerings has been a hit and an expanded line of manga, comics and graphic novels from Japan, has been very popular.
In some cases, not only are they offering products and activities nobody else has in Oswego County, but opportunities you might not find easily in the Syracuse area. Supporting passions and interests, and validating people’s interests in these activities, has been a good business plan throughout the shop’s history.
“We have a passion for this,” Weldin said. “We’re kind of doubling down on the things we care about because it seems like stuff that people like. Sharing your passions with people is less work.”
“It’s easier to get excited about it to share with other folks,” Samuels said. “Hopefully that level of excitement is contagious.”
The Magic the Gathering events, every Saturday starting at noon, have remained popular. The shop works with other local small businesses in Heidi Ho Donuts and GJP to provide baked goods and pizza, which both makes the players happy and builds on the sense of community.
Weldin runs Pokemon nights on Thursdays that provide a variety of activities related to the consistently popular international sensation, including gaming and trading. On Wednesdays, the shop hosts an open card night where customers can play and discover a variety of games. And special events throughout the year, such as a recent successful Free Comic Book Day and product release gatherings, serve a range of customer interests.
“I would say the response from the customers has been amazing, just the support for us because we’ve especially been part of the Magic community and the trading community,” Weldin said. “Joe and I have done a good job fostering a good relationship with the players in the area. And they’re very happy to see us back here in the shop on a more regular basis.”
“I’ve just been encouraged by everything that’s happened so far,” Samuels said. “It’s felt like the right play.”
Open 7 Days a Week
Located at 112 E. Bridge St. in Oswego, the Comic Shop is open Mondays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
For more information and access to their inventory online, visit https://thecomic.shop.
TIM NEKRITZ is director of news and media for SUNY Oswego, where he spearheads telling the stories of the campus community.
