In what may be a first for the podcast, we talk to a real, live comic shop owner! It's Nathan Machado, owner and manager of Blackhole Comics in Norwood, MA. Nate shares his comic origin story and how he went from a manager at one of New England Comics' other locations to taking over and rebranding this one. He opens up about the realities of comics retail, from dispelling misconceptions about running a shop and navigating the challenges of ordering decisions to balancing pull-list customers with attracting new readers. We explore how to create a welcoming environment for intimidated newcomers, his strategies for recommending comics to first-time readers, and the importance of events like Free Comic Book Day and signings to build community around his shop. 

You can follow Blackhole Comics on Facebook.

Support the show

___________________

Check out video versions of this and other episodes on YouTube: youtube.com/dollarbinbandits!

If you like this podcast, please rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you found this episode. And if you really like this podcast, become a member of the Dollar Bin Boosters on Patreon: patreon.com/DollarBinBoosters.

You can follow us @dollarbinbandits on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky, or @DBBandits on X. You can email us at [email protected].

___________________

Dollar Bin Bandits is the official podcast of TwoMorrows Publishing. Check out their fine publications at twomorrows.com.

___________________

Thank you to Sam Fonseca for our theme music, Sean McMillan for our graphics, and Pat McGrath for our logo.