![]() ![]() Yribar describes the goal of Vault of Midnight: "to present comic books to as many human beings as possible as awesome, accessible, important works of art and entertainment." It's something that has been with the shop since it opened its first location in 1996, but that has grown along with the store as it opened new locations and hired new staff. ![]() Together, along with new additions like Yribar, they would grow Vault of Midnight into the most impressive comics shop in Michigan.Ĭlick ahead to learn how the lessons of adversity have been developed into a philosophy of success that promotes both comics and community. It was their love of comics that drove the entire enterprise forward. If the store was open, then at least one of them was inside. The initial handselling was done by a staff consisting of only two people: Curtis Sullivan and Steve Fodale, the original co-founders. It also meant they weren't left with enormous boxes of holographic covers worth less than cover price. Emphasizing smaller comics that the staff could hand sell allowed them to make sure every customer was being sold a story the store believed in. Big shipments and variant covers offered big rewards, but also a lot of risks. They focused more on independent comics than those from the "Big Two". One of the most important things that Vault of Midnight had to do when it first open was steer away from the strategies that had caused so many other shops to shutter. "All of those factors helped inform what kind of shop we were and would be." Yribar acknowledges that this timing might have been a blessing in disguise. Opening at a time of calamity helped teach the store some important lessons about success and what it takes to make a comic store work. That moment felt like a doomsday clock was counting down for the American comics industry, so of course this is when Vault of Midnight first opened their doors.Ĭo-owner Nick Yribar says, "This was the absolute worst time to open a comic shop." But more than 20 years later Vault of Midnight is still open and now has 3 locations throughout Michigan in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids, and Detroit. Things were bad for stores that had been around for years as they struggled to keep doors open and retain what customers they still had. Marvel had broken from Diamond to distribute their own comics making for an even more fickle and pricey system. The market was collapsing from a massive speculator bubble and scores of specialty shops were shutting their doors forever on a monthly basis. There may be no worse time in modern history to open a comics store than in 1996. We hope you can visit some of them throughout 2017. ![]() These are stores that embody what it means to support culture and community. This year on ComicBook.Com we are highlighting this important aspect of comics and culture by taking a look at one local comic store each week. ![]()
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