Today we’d like to introduce you to Grant Schreiber.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started reading comic books before the moon landing, and they have been a part of my life for many years. I ended up working retail and after many years of that, finally had my passion and my job experience join in one. Owning a business wasn’t really planned, but something that became the most obvious choice. It’s a gamble, but so far so good.
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?
One would think with Hollywood blockbusters and TV shows being based on comic books, that comic books would be flying off the shelf, but that is not the case. Part of the problem is that people read less, including comic books. Everyone is busy and in a hurry. Comic books require a bit of time — some a lot less than others, but one still has to sit down and read. Comics are also a niche item. No one wakes up and suddenly decides that what they’ve been missing in life are comic books. You have to be raised with them, which is much harder now because so many people believe that every comic book will be worth thousands someday and because they cost a fair amount.
I used to ride my bike to a Rexall drug and buy five comics for a dollar. Now the lowest base cost for a comic is $2.99. Getting ten comics suddenly feels like an investment. That’s hard to argue against, but the main point of a comic book is to buy it, read it, read it again, have fun with it. If you’re treating a comic like an heirloom piece, you’ve instantly pushed the comic book into the field of monetary speculation. Here’s the hard fact: most comic books are utterly worthless. Have fun with them. Let your kids read them while eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It’s okay to bend the covers, the resale value was nil, to begin with.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Maximum Distractions – what should we know?
Because it would be impossible to only sell comic books and survive, Maximum Distractions also sells toys and games. We have space devoted for gameplay and have a pretty healthy community of D&D and Magic the Gathering players. I believe that games are meant to be fun, and I try to stress that with any gameplay. I know there are places where one can go to play Magic for teeth, but we’re not like. It’s laid back and easy going.
We’re trying to get more board games played and have several demo games for people to try out. We will be running game demos throughout December for people to check out. Currently, with comics, we have the best Silver Age collection in the city. It is my desire to make that collection belong to someone else, so the prices are neither insanely high nor fixed in stone. Any fair offer is considered.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
It’s right there in the name: Maximum Distractions. People need distractions. People need leisure time. People need to turn off the TV once in a while and play a game with their family. Politicians come and go, meals blur into the past, one sports team is much like the other, but you’ll always remember that time you came from behind and crushed your dad at King of Tokyo.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4405 N Milwaukee Ave
- Phone: 7083202535
- Email: maximumdistractions@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maximumdistractions/
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
