It was from Ed Greenberg, the owner of Collector's Paradise, the comic shop which has three stores in the Los Angeles area.
As of Friday, all of California and New York are under statewide shutdowns of non-essential businesses. Illinois also followed suit. "I sent an email to my top five suppliers asking if they were going to be offer returnability on the other end of this — I have three weeks of orders in the pipeline, and zero ability to sell those books in a meaningful way," longtime California retailer Brian Hibbs at the start of the week, ahead of the enforced closure of his two stores.
"As we all encounter new and uncertain challenges in response to COVID-19 and take extraordinary measures to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of everyone in the industry and beyond, our thoughts are with the entire industry and community we all support," said Marvel Entertainment president Dan Buckley in the statement. "We have spoken with many retailers about the economic impact to their stores from this situation, and we are here to help.
Important: 'THR reached out and a spokesperson confirmed that [DC] is working on a meaningful plan to help alleviate current stresses on the comic book industry, and that communication to retailers is forthcoming.'
ronmarz My local comic shops are offering curbside pickup. Hope people will take advantage. Also understand if people are not spending on non-essentials.
MajorSpoilers Mine just closed permanently last week. Tough times for an industry barely hanging on as it was.
RyanHigginsRyan Great article and 💯 percent the truth. It’s a weird, strange dark time for comic shops. 🙏🏻