Happy Harbor Comics & Toys (Edmonton, AB)

Jay Bardyla reports:

Having relocated our main store from Jasper, Alberta to Edmonton, and only being open for two and a half months, we were very unsure about how big the day would end up being.  Our file customer base didn't seem too excited either so we entered into it cautiously.  That was a mistake.

It was an unbelievable day.  With me in my Shazam costume and HH customer Tiina Foley in her Dark Phoenix outfit, we stood outside the front door and handed comics to passers by, whether walking, riding or driving.  Heck, even a couple buses stopped and let us hand out comics to the passengers.

Our special guest Andrew Foley, writer by trade but a very capable artist, had a very steady day of making sketches for a handful of the 350-375 people that came through our doors.  Quite a step up from the normal 20-30 people we see on a typical Saturday, much owed I'm sure to the couple of newspapers that listed FCBD in their Family Events Listings, unbeknownst to us.

People who visited other stores commented on how much fun our event was, with people in costumes, a BBQ, a creator doing sketches and raffles for a 6-foot plush Spider-Man, three $100 Gift Certificates, signed Chris Claremont X-Men books and signed Fantastic Four and New Thunderbolts books by Tom Grummett.  Oh yeah, there was those Free Comics too.  Star Wars was gone in just over an hour and by 2 pm we were pulling out last years stock just to be able to give people something.  Still, everyone was happy.

Moms who had no idea comics were still for kids and that comic stores could be fun for them as well left with smiles and many thanks.  In the end, we could have not asked for a more rewarding day.  We have found dozens of new comics fans.  Thanks to those companies who helped make this possible.