Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Brower.
Patrick, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up with an older brother that read comic books, so comic books were always a part of my life. It seemed weird to me to find out other people didn’t have comics as part of their personal history. A love of comic books turned into a love of art and I graduated college with a degree in Illustration and in Art History. From there, I planned to be a freelance illustrator, but I knew I’d need a part-time job as I built a client list. Within 2 weeks of graduation, when I was picking up that week’s new comics at the local comics shop, the owner asked what I thought about working there. I said “sure” and I was part of that company for 17 & 1/2 years.
One of the best things I ever did was hire a kid named W. Dal Bush to work with me. Ten years my junior, he quickly proved that he found the same excitement and enjoyment in comics that I did and he also worked as hard as I did. It can be tough giving everything for a job that you ultimately don’t control, and after 16 years, Dal moved on. A few months after he left the world of comics retail, he came to me suggesting there was a better way to run a comics shop. I never wanted to own a shop, but when someone you respect and work well with says, “what if…?” well, who wants a life of wondering what would have happened? So, we opened Challengers Comics + Conversation on March 31, 2008, and I haven’t looked back.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have art and history degrees; Dal jumped into full-time retail right after graduating high school. While we had significant experience running stores before, 2008 was a challenging (see what I did there?) economic time. We made some financial missteps in the early days, in an effort to stand out in an increasingly crowded Chicago comic book store market, and it took us several years to climb out of those holes. We also started with loftier expectations of our immediate success, versus the harsh reality we encountered.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Challengers Comics + Conversation – what should we know?
Challengers Comics + Conversation is a full-service, technologically interactive comic store that strives to prove that the best thing about being in a comic book store, is being in a comic book store. Whoever you are, whatever you do, there is a comic book being published today that you’ll absolutely love. It’s our job to point it out to you, and to get you as excited about it as we are. Comic books have an unlimited special effect budget for each and every page, and there are so many things they do better than any other medium. My passion for comics is stronger today than ever before, and I’ve been reading them for just about 45 years.
In 2013, Challengers was awarded the Will Eisner “Spirit of Comics” Retail Award and the San Diego Comic-Con. The Eisner is the Academy Award for comics, and it is the highest award we can win. So, of course, that’s high on my list. But the real honor is having people choose to be in my store on a regular basis; that people trust me with their comic buying needs and feel comfortable enough to make Challengers their regular store.
In 2012, we added Sidekicks to our store, a 400 sq. ft. an attached room that is Challengers but for all-ages and beginning readers. That room alone has made such an amazing impact on my business, and my life. I had my brother George as my guide into comics when I was young. Now, I get to be that guide for hundreds of kids every year. Having them start their comic reading in my shop is the best part of what I do.
As for what makes Challengers different from other similar shops, we’re clean, we’re well lit, we wear suits (this is a business, after all), the majority of our employees are women, our aisles are wide, and our store just plain smells good (seriously, that is a compliment we get often). We’re inclusive and everyone is welcome, regardless of how long you’ve been reading comics. You don’t have to prove to us that you’re a fan. Comics are for everyone, every day.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Honesty and integrity. I don’t think anyone doesn’t believe my passion for the books I sell. If I tell you I like a particular book, it means I actually, genuinely like it and I think you will, too.
And we pride ourselves on not being a ‘mark up’ store. We don’t raise the prices of comics; we only ever lower them.
Pricing:
- All of our Back Issues (older comics) are 99¢, every day.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1845 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60647 - Website: http://challengerscomics.com
- Phone: 773.278.0155
- Email: challengers@challengerscomics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gochallengersgo/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/challengerscomics
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Challengers
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/challengers-comics-conversation-chicago
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/ChallengersRgo
Image Credit:
Megan Byrd
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