With a personal collection of 29,000 books and a dream nearly four decades old, West Michigan native Don Myers thinks the time is finally upon him to make his wish come true and this week announced plans to open The Comic Signal in the 2,500-square-foot storefront at 4318 Plainfield Ave. NE.
“I’ve loved comic books all my life and collected them since 1973 so naturally, they’re a huge influence on my life,” Myers says.
Tom Peterson is an associate for Colliers International West Michigan’s retail team and says the popularity of comics and graphic novel-based movies and television series, like “The Avengers” and “The Walking Dead,” facilitate a great cultural climate right now for The Comic Signal’s opening, especially in a neighborhood that will benefit from the added retail interest.
“That stretch of Plainfield has been a little slow to catch on,” Peterson says. “… It’s good to see business starting to take more interest. It benefits the community; drawing more consumers to the area and eventually, we may see the retail vacancy rate begin to drop.”
Scheduled to open in February 2016, The Comic Signal will feature comics, graphic novels and other comic book merchandise, plus extended hours on weekends to provide fans of popular board and card games a space to gather and play together.
“I love the stories, the characters and the artwork. I love every aspect of comic books, and I’m thrilled I can share my passion for this fantastic storytelling art form with other fans,” Myers says. “The time is right to open my first store and my family and I are excited for this opportunity.”
By Anya Zentmeyer, Development News Editor
Images courtesy of Don Myers
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