SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Aaron Trites opened now or never comics on the corner of 11th Avenue and F Street in East Village back in December 2018.
“I moved here from Boston about five years ago and opened downtown specifically to be close to Comic Con,” Trites said.
We all know what the world and life have been like since the last Comic Con in 2019.
The pandemic forced businesses to close shop, and conventions like Comic-Con were shelved until it was safe to do so.
“And not having that was, you know, a huge negative for us," he said. "So to have the show back, this is exactly what I waited for."
That waiting is resulting in major sales with the major convention making it's come back.
“Sales every day have been three to four times the average. It’s been terrific. We’ve had more people through the door than any other day that we’ve ever had,” Trites said.
Folks who traveled down Interstate 5 for Comic-Con are stopping in to check out the local shop.
“I haven’t picked up my weekly comics yet, so maybe I’ll pick them up here,” Mary Cohen, who’s visiting Comic Con from Los Angeles, said.
And others flew thousands of miles to San Diego for the convention and popped in as well.
“Because there are a lot of things you don’t find at Comic-Con you find at local shops. And I think here is where everything happens, you know, where they say the magic happens is at the local shops,” Carlos Casaprima, who’s visiting from Spain, said.
Trites said there are waves of dozens of people at a given time at the shop. It’s a sight he loves to see.
“It’s awesome seeing people find books that they’ve been looking for. It’s awesome finding toys that they’ve been hunting for from their childhood,” he said. “And it’s been so fun talking to people from all around the world. You know, talking to folks that are here from Belgium looking for ‘Tin-Tin,’ comic books. A guy from Australia who’s looking for ‘Wild Dog’ comics.”
Getting the boost in profits and customers from the Comic-Con is making that wait worth all the while.
“But Comic-Con for San Diego especially is such a huge part of the city’s DNA. So, to have the Con back, it’s been awesome,” Trites said. “This is exactly why I set up in San Diego.”
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