Comic shop sees steady crowd

First, there are boxes, boards and books stacked ceiling high like the most well-organized attic your cool uncle ever kept. If you can tear your eyes away from the sheer volume of stuff in the clean, cramped store, the display counters are packed full of valuable comic books and tiny figurines.

If you can manage to take in anything else in the packed store, you’ll see evidence of a community alive and thriving thanks to a home established right here in Capital City Collectibles, 1723 E. Michigan Ave., in Lansing.

“We love the people who come down here,” co-owner Peter Ryan said.

Capital City Collectibles has undergone quite a few transformations and moves since opening as The Book Exchange in 1973. Ryan and co-owner Stephen Jahner opened the store in its current incarnation and location in November 2008. Store manager David Jenkins said Capital City Collectibles is the oldest comic book store in Michigan.

In addition to comic books, the store is home to a large collection of used books, old board games and all sorts of collectible memorabilia documenting the last century in pop culture. Although the staff is very qualified to introduce customers to great books, their usual customers don’t often need their advice.

“You don’t really have to sell comic books,” Jahner said. “(Our customers) are a group of people who know what they want.”

The store also offers many different types of leagues that play games, including “Magic: The Gathering” and “HeroClix,” making the store as much a place to hang out and play as a place to buy game pieces, Ryan said. He said the games draw in about 30 people on busy nights. The players are people from all different walks of life and some of them have established lifelong friendships with people they met at the table, Ryan said. Capital City Collectibles offers a free “Magic: The Gathering” tournament on Friday nights that draws a diverse crowd, he said. While the games and players can seem intimidating to an outsider, Jenkins described the group as laid-back and friendly to newcomers.

“It draws an eclectic crowd,” Ryan said. “It’s a wonderful environment.”

Krishnan Sudharsan, a doctoral student in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, has played “Magic: The Gathering” at Capital City Collectibles for almost two years.

“It’s far more relaxed than some other places,” Sudharsan said. “You’re playing with friends, not just to win.”

Because of the city’s economic troubles, Capital City Collectibles has seen some of its more “fair-weather” traffic drop off, Ryan said. “It’s a leisure activity,” Ryan said. “It’s not the first thing to go in a bad economy, but it’s a close second.”

Although, the serious collectors always seem to find their way to the store regardless of repeated location changes and the economic downturn, Jahner said.

In such times, Ryan and Jahner are looking for ways to help their community outside of the store. Capital City Collectibles recently applied for a grant to involve at-risk Lansing youth in gaming and comic books. Because comic books and gaming involve math and literacy skills, it could be a way to help kids stay in school, Jenkins said. The newly minted Capital Area Youth Mentoring program is an opportunity for Capital City Collectibles to give back to their community.

“It’s an opportunity to be a positive role model,” Ryan said. “To know we’re helping (kids) who (don’t) have a good life enjoy themselves.”