Local Comics Store Spotlight: Wonderworld Comics
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Wonderworld Comics (Part Two)
If there's a single secret to Barger's business strategy, it seems to be an obvious one: give the people what they want.
Wonderworld has specialized in the variant market, doing its best to curate collections of covers offered only in very limited ratios. It's a high risk task that requires Barger to order more than he might expect to sell of some titles in order to offer a specialized piece of art. However, the development of their online retail storefront has helped significantly. After eight years of business, Wonderworld reached a 50-50 split between online and in-store customers, allowing them to find collectors across the United States and beyond. It means they can target popular variants, like the action figure designs, and find customers beyond their own backyard.
Some comics readers might see the variant and online markets as being niches, but Barger's success in these areas has allowed him to expand his customer base in multiple ways. When Wonderworld first opened he estimates the store catered to 95% men and 85% people of European descent. In little more than a decade those demographics have shifted drastically. Barger says that women now make up about 33% of the stores regular customers and that among them only about half would be characterized as caucasian. That change reflects a shift in the American comics market as well with more women and minorities discovering the medium. There's no doubt that part of Wonderworld' success can be attributed to welcoming these new audiences.
Barger attributes this growth to the trust he places in his own staff. He says, "Go with what your employees like and they will push the product." An anecdote he is fond of telling regards Trish, now a manager at Wonderworld, who loved Zombie Tramp, a title that many customers dismissed without a second glance. Her passion for the series led it into the hands of many who shared her taste. It now sells better than Batman or The Amazing Spider-Man at Wonderworld. The sales staff know comics and know what they love, customers have come to trust their recommendations in turn. That level of enthusiasm grows both pull files and visitors to the shop.
Those evolving trends in demographics and taste can be observed at a micro-level at Wonderworld, and Barger is dedicated to serving his customers whatever comics they choose to read. In all of the controversy over the altered gender of Thor, Barger discovered that the number of people pulling Thor books increased by about 650%. Even if the few people who were previously reading Thor: God of Thunder left, the new readers more than made up for the difference. These are changes that excite Barger and his staff too. "I absolutely love this industry's commitment to finding new voices and characters for the growing customer bases we have" he says.
Despite all of his experience running a successful comics store, Barger claims "No one can predict the future of this industry." Many of his most successful items were predicted for doom in the past decade, including the loss of physical comics to digital and the downfall of variants, neither of which came to be. The comics industry is constantly evolving and it takes stores like Wonderworld to keep up with it and its new customers. Following the wisdom of Bruce Lee it has become a shop able to keep up with every new development. Barger himself is as excited by running the business as he is watching the action star deliver a finishing blow. "I love this industry, the one thing you can predict is it'll be full of twists and turns and excitement."
Click ahead to see pictures from Wonderworld Comics and get all of the details about the store.
Wonderworld Comics (Store Info and Photos)
Name: Wonderworld Comics
Address: 3955 Dix Highway
Lincoln Park, MI 48146
Phone: (313) 292-8697
Website: Wonderworld Comics
Twitter: @WonderworldCMX
Facebook: Wonderworld Comics