Welcome to Store Tour, ROBOT 6’s weekly exploration of comics shops, and the people who run them; think of it as the retailer version of Shelf Porn. Each Sunday we feature a different store, and also get to know the person behind the register.

To discover a comic store in your area, visit FindAComicShop.com

This week’s store is Comic Depot, located at 514 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, New York. We spoke with owner Darren Carrara.

ROBOT 6: Tell me about the layout of your store. How did you work that out?

Darren Carrara: We moved locations about a year and a half ago. When we found our current location in downtown Saratoga Springs, it was a little smaller than the last, so space was at a premium. We wanted to have the same basic layout: new comic rack, back issues, $1 comics, action figures, graphic novels, board games and room for Magic: The Gathering singles. It was important for us to be able to display just as much merch in this smaller spot. We also wanted the store to look more professional, no more hodgepodge of unmatched fixtures, no more banquet tables with long boxes. We picked a red and black color theme (matching our logo), and bought some specialty fixtures from SkylineDesigns.com. The new fixtures included comic racks with pullout drawers for back issues, shelves for trade paperbacks with pockets for comics below. Added in some bookshelves for gaming products, and slat-grid as much as possible hung from the walls and in between fixtures for maximum display area, and some new display cases. With the new fixtures we were able to get even more merchandise in a smaller footprint. We were able to keep our back issue inventory of around 20,000 comics, we were able to expand our board game selection and selection of trade paperbacks and even more space for action figures and other miscellaneous merch.

What is the secret origin of your store? How did the store come to be?

It was all about being in the right place at the right time. I read comics as a kid: Hulk, Conan, Star Wars, etc. As I grew up, comics kind of slipped away until I was in college. Some friends and I were reminiscing about reading comics and talking about Batman: The Animated Series. We decided to make a trip to a local hobby shop that sold comics. That one trip instantly turned into a weekly habit. A month or maybe two into collecting I was at my LCS picking up my haul, I happen to remember that Ultimate Spider-Man #2 was out that week and in my hands, the owner of the shop was on the phone with his Diamond rep in his office. He was having a really heated “discussion” that ended with repeated phone-slam hang-ups. When he emerged from his office he told me he was done selling comics, but asked if I would be interested in buying his stock. The price was right and I now owned a little over 100 long boxes of comic books!

I lugged around two tons of comics for a few years from Potsdam, New York, to Boston, Massachusetts, and then to Saratoga Springs, New York. I had intended on opening up an online store, but ended up with a physical location a few miles outside of town in a very rural setting. Cheap rent was the main reason for our first location in Greenfield, New York. Vanilla box, banquet tables with long boxes on them. I was very green, but I could see the possibilities.

What in your background do you think made you particularly suited for the retail side of comics?

I went to college for accounting, which is a great background for owning your own business.

Do you have a philosophy or strategy to retailing? Has it evolved over time?

I have always had the same idea. I wanted my store to be a fun and friendly environment. I wanted my employees to be helpful and inviting to customers. And I wanted to have a great selection of merchandise at reasonable prices.

What are your current bestsellers? What are your favorites that deserve to sell better at your store?

Our bestsellers are probably the same as everyone else’s: Secret Wars, Convergence, Batman and The Walking Dead. Right now the staff and I are really digging a lot of Image titles: Black Science, Saga, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, to name a few.

What is your customer base like? How has it changed over time, if at all? Do you have a discount or loyalty program?

Our biggest demographic is still men, mid-20s to mid-30s. But over the past few years we have had a huge increase in female comic readers and gamers. Really, we get people of all ages and genders, from toddlers to 70-year-old kids.

We offer subscription discounts up to 20 percent based on the number of monthly ongoing titles on a pull list. The percentage off is good on anything store-wide.

How do you reach out to new customers? How do you advertise?

We have tried everything for advertising; local papers, ads in the phone book, and even ads before movies at the local theater. None of that really seemed to do much good. I have been focusing on events at the store, exhibiting at local comic cons, and other local special events. Spending some of our marketing budget for events gives back to our customers that support us and makes our events even better. It helps to create some buzz and get good word of mouth advertising which is the absolute best!

How do you feel your online presence, such as your website, Facebook and Twitter, support or supplement your store?

Our webpage lays mostly dormant; it’s all set up to sell products online, but there isn’t enough time in the day to get it up and running. The store is always so busy. The website is mostly a place to check what events are coming, gaming schedule, and the list of what comics come out for the current week. We rely on Facebook for events and to keep customers informed about incoming products and collections that the store takes in.

You mentioned events earlier. What do you have coming up? How is it coordinating those?

Yes, we have more events planned this year then ever before. We just had Steve Orlando, writer of Midnighter (DC), on June 3 in celebration of the release of Midnighter #1. Joe St. Pierre will be signing at the store this week too, for the release of his comic, New Zodiax #3, which the Comic Depot has a variant cover for! Nicki Clyne, actress from Battlestar Galactica, will be at the store for a signing and photo ops June 27.

Also we have our annual “Depot Day” (date to be determined), which is a huge sale and features multiple comic creators as guests. Some of our past guests for Depot Day include Ron Marz (writer), Paul Harding (sculptor), Richard Clark (artist), Christian St. Pierre (artist), Joe Staton (artist), Joe Sinnott (artist), Mark McKenna (artist) and FanboysInc live podcasts. We are working on an independent comic creator day at the store this fall, which will hopefully bring in some of our local indie creators. In October (date to be determined), we will help celebrate another indie comic book release, Nikkol Jelenic’s horror anthology, A Taste For Killing #4. We are still working on a few more guests for signings this year including Eric Talbot, Kevin Conrad, Mike McKone, Andy Lanning and a few more.

Coordinating these in-store events has been pretty simple; everyone that has come to the store has been so easy going. Events like FCBD are a little more difficult with organizing the guests, food, cosplayers, staffing, arranging the store to accommodate the crowd, and a podcast. Great employees, helpful regulars, good cosplayers and talented guests make these complex events much easier.

Which conventions do you attend? How does your store benefit from attending them?

We exhibit at a few shows every year, mostly local. Chase Con, which was almost next door at a convention center. Albany Comic Con, about 30 minutes south, which is my favorite local comic convention. Our farthest show is Connecticut ComiConnl great show and very lucrative. I also attend NYCC, but more just to buy and have some fun. I use all of the local shows to market the store. It’s a great opportunity to let our target audience know about the store, showcase some of our products, and just get to know the fans.

What do you see as the biggest challenge in the comics industry today that particularly impacts your store?

Customers can buy comics and trades cheaper online or at some of the big box stores. I have lost a few subscribers to online retailers that offer comics at crazy discounts. It’s tough to compete with stores like Target, which sell some trades and action figures at the same price I can buy them for from my distributors.

Conversely, what is the industry's biggest asset that is helping you be successful?

The change in attitude towards the “nerd culture” now becoming part of pop culture. When I was a kid people made fun of you for reading comic books, now who doesn’t watch The Walking Dead or go see Marvel and DC movies?

With all of the people that come through your store, I imagine you must have some great stories. What is the funniest or most memorable moment you've seen in your store?

So many great moments at the shop and at shows, it’s impossible to pick just one so here's a quick rundown. Love it when kids see costumed heroes and think they’re real, an elderly woman in a wheelchair moved to tears at a hug from Spider-Man, having living legend Joe Sinnott at the store, first time I bought an X-Men #1, the amazing friends I have made along the way, and fun on the road at comic conventions.

Anything coming up at Comic Depot that is a good excuse for someone to stop by?

All of the signings and Depot Day are good reasons to stop by the shop. But really this whole area has a lot of good stores, so if you stop by my store you can probably visit six or eight stores within a 45-minute radius.

Also in the works but not at the store is Kirby Day; it's Jack Kirby’s birthday! On August 28, we celebrate Jack’s legacy with a charity event that benefits The Hero Initiative. Ron Marz, Paul Harding, John Belskis (owner of Excellent Adventures comic shop and the creator/promoter for Albany Comic Con) and myself are planning this event again this year. It’s still in the early stages, but should be even bigger and better than last year. Held at Schmaltz Brewery in Clifton Park, there were creators on hand signing and drawing for donations, raffles, Kirby beer, and live music. NPR covered last year's event.

If you’d like to see your store featured here on Robot 6, email us.