Comic Shop Opens Doors in Garland

Navy Veteran Follows Deceased Wife’s Wishes           

     Garland, Texas, August 29, 2014:  A Galaxy Called Dallas will celebrate its grand opening on September 13, 2014. The store is located in the North Star Crossing shopping center at 1238 Belt Line Rd. #365 with N. Garland Avenue being the nearest cross street. Entertainment will be in great supply as representatives from the geek community come out to show support. Authors Jaye Wells and A. Lee Martinez will be signing books and mingling, as well as, artist Thomas Branch, Eddie Medina, podcaster Cole Houston, and costumers Glitzy Geek Girl and the Taffeta Darling. Visitors will be able to participate in game demos, enjoy balloon artists and face painters, and meet their favorite super heroes. Prize drawings throughout the day will lead up to a costume contest with cash prizes going to the winners. Doors open at 10:30 AM and the ribbon cutting with city officials present will take place at approximately 11:00 AM.

Owner James Pickering, a Navy veteran, has two employees, Thomas Chick and ChelsieJo Smith, with his four year old daughter, Lillian, lending a big hand when she isn't in school. The shop was something that came with deep thought after James lost his wife Carroll to brain cancer in 2013. Her last words were for him to be happy, so he thought to follow his dream of owning his own shop. With the support of family and friends, he’s now living up to wish.

Busy First Week and Pull Lists

I’m happy to say that we’ve made it through our first week and we’ve actually had sales. It’s a nice feeling to come to work every day and not have it feel like it’s work. Heck, even my four year old daughter wants to come to the shop and help out everyday! I’d like to thank all of you who have made it in, but also to those that have made it possible. Friends, family, and strangers, but strangers no more. Welcome home!

Les Webster and I went to a little soiree’ last night. Thanks to Thomas Chick for manning the register while we were gone. The event was hosted by DC Entertainment and was billed as a Retail Roadshow. We heard from Bob Wayne (Bob Kane/Bruce Wayne ?), Senior VP of sales, and other higher ups on what was happening with DC the next few months and into 2015. Nice presentation, came away with a few ideas, and met some of my fellow retailers. Bob is actually a part of the comic retail history here in the DFW area and is moving back this direction in the next few years. Can’t wait to meet him again.

After dropping my partner off, I came back to the shop to finish up my order for this month. Man, waiting until the last minute is no fun. I gotta stop that. You’d think that I was in high school finishing a term paper or something. To help me with that, we are going to start doing a monthly meetup and discuss products that are coming out in the months ahead, so that I can get a good idea of what customers are looking for. Be on the lookout for that.

I’ve also posted the policy for pull lists and subscriptions. You can find that in the header above. Just click on the button, “Subscription & Pull Lists” and you’ll get all the details. To give me your pull lists or subscriptions, email me at agalaxycalleddallas@gmail.com or call me at 972-530-2600.

Helping Fans

By now, you’ve all probably heard the story, but just in case, here it is again. I tried posting this back on the 8th, but I had a few computer problems among other things. Jonathan Vela, aka San Antonio Aquaman, had a very severe stroke. One that would eventually take his life. This fund-raiser had already been put in place to offset hospital bills, but it will now be used to offset funeral expenses, in addition to the medical expenses.

You can also join a Facebook page called Aquafest. They will be gathering in his honor in San Antonio on Saturday, August 23rd. It’s looks to be quite a shindig and wish that I could make it, but I’m sure there will be plenty in attendance!

I will have a jar at the A Galaxy Called Dallas’ counter for donations, as well as, a link on Facebook, Google+, and the website. Help in anyway you can to remember the man who gave of himself. Long remember his name, Jonathan Vela.

Remember Aquaman Donation Site

T-shirts and the ‘Average’ Fan

One of my big disappointments with merchandising and fandom is that one side forgets that the other side is a tad bigger than most. I am an overweight guy. Should I lose weight? Most definitely. Not for looks or anything. I think even with my pounds, I’ve still got intelligence and a sense of humor to make up for that. That’s not the point here. A lot of fans are overweight. So why is it so hard to find a t-shirt in anything larger than a 3x. And most 3x’s are sooooo not 3x!

Well, I’m also a fan of these cool sights that will let artist submit work and then for 24 hours or however long sell the shirts at great prices. I’m an even bigger fan of sites that sell them in big sizes. Not just XL, but XLT!

Meet Fresh Brewed Tees. I found them a couple of months back and have been going quite often to get my shirts. I’ve four or five now and they are great quality and fit perfectly even after I’ve washed them a few times. And the best part? The price. So far, I’ve paid $10 to 14 each. Yep, even for the big sizes. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Here’s my latest purchases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you got a favorite t-shirt site that you like to use? Tell us all about it!

Getting Close!

Hey, Kids! We are hoping to open doors in less than two weeks. Spread the word! We will open on August 13th for our first full day of business. Our hours will be from 11am to 10pm Tuesday thru Saturday with the shop closing on Sunday and Monday. Sorry, we’ve got families and have to pay bills sometimes. But during those five days that we will be open, we are hoping to bring in some gaming, some workshops, some signings, you name it. In fact, yeah, you name it. What would you like to see other than things to buy?

When I worked at Borders Books, I put together events that informed, as well as, entertained. From learning how to flesh out a fantasy novel to how to make things to discussing the latest novel, we were a place for knowledge. I’d like to incorporate that into the shop. Yes, we will sell things. We have to pay the bills, but I’m a firm believer that you can do both. Call me Nutty!

Until we do open, we are having game nights on Saturday evening starting at 7pm. We may bump that back to earlier, if we get enough feedback on it, but for now, we’ll see you at 7pm. Bring a game, if you have one that you would like to share, or request a demo of one that we have (or don’t have, we’ll consider it.) We are also very good at conversation, so bring ideas that you would like to discuss.

Come in and tell us what you would like to see. I can’t guarantee that it will happen, but I do guarantee that I will listen and think about it.