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PITTSBURGH COMIC SHOPS TAKE A BIG HIT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BY MATT PETRAS - PITTSBURGH CURRENT CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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Phantom of the Attic Comics in Oakland usually uses its wooden racks to display newly released comic books, but, during the COVID-19 pandemic, physical comics have largely not been distributed. Owner Jeff Yandora has been using the racks to display comic book series he recommends, and then he takes a picture for social media to advertise mail orders. It’s been odd, he says. “Usually I’m here by myself, and seeing the store, one, without any people in it is kinda weird,” Yandora says. “It’s like a ghost ship. The phantom ghost ship.” Just like comic shops around the country, comic stores in the Pittsburgh area appear to have been hit hard by the pandemic, forced to lay off employees and find revenue through online sales. Business has been tough for retail shops of any kind amid the pandemic. Comic shops are in a particularly vulnerable position because they typically draw a relatively niche customer base of collectors and enthusiasts. Diamond Comic Distributors, the chief distributor of new release mainstream comics, stopped shipping books a little more than a month ago, and government offices have prevented most comic stores around the country from allowing customers inside. Eide’s Entertainment, a four-floor comic book and collectibles store located in Downtown Pittsburgh, actually received a waiver from the governor’s office allowing them to stay open, according to Greg Eide, who has owned and operated the store for nearly 50 years. Eide’s has a small convenience section at the entrance of the store with snacks, drinks and magazines, which has allowed it to cautiously operate with a slew of restrictions.
Phantom of the Attic in Oakland has been trying to get the word out about their inventory and shipping options
Eide says he requests people call first and follows standard COVID-19 safety precautions. Still, few people have been entering the store, according to Eide. The store is lucky if ten people come in throughout a given day, he says. “Some of our best regular customers come in… very big collectors,” Eide says. “People who are very addicted to collecting.” Sales have dropped significantly as the store leans more into eBay, Eide says. All that being said, Eide has allowed all of his full-time employees to continue working if they feel comfortable. He also received
18 | MAY 12, 2020 | PITTSBURGH CURRENT
money from the Small Business Association for the store. He’s concerned that other shops may not be as fortunate, but he’s comfortable about his shop’s future. “I own the building outright, so I don’t have to pay rent, I pay property taxes. I feel I’m far, far, far better positioned than stores of my ilk, comic stores or music stores or book stores or whatever,” Eide says. “I have plenty of money behind me that I can keep things going through this hard time, and I plan on keeping it going.” Business at Pittsburgh Comics, a shop in Canonsburg, was down
about 40 percent in March and 77 percent in April, according to owner Colin McMahon. He also had to lay off his one full-time employee. Unlike some shops that stock old and rare comic books, Pittsburgh Comics primarily focuses on getting new releases to its customers. “For the store itself, it was pretty much completely stopped,” McMahon says. “Especially with no books coming in, there was really nothing going on here.” The Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a national non-profit that assists struggling book stores, has teamed up with comic book
