It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman, along with hundreds of other comic book heroes that are finally settled in their newly named Rubber City Comics home.
The store, formerly known as Quaker Square Comics, is celebrating its grand reopening Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. after moving from its tiny restaurant location to a much roomier storefront on Mill Street, directly across from the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron.
To celebrate, the store will bring in local comic book professionals throughout the day, including Dave Wilson, a designer and illustrator; AJ Sabino, a comic illustrator; and Thom Zahler, a comic book creator.
“It’s really amazing that now we’re in a place people can walk by and see us,” said Thom Hoff, the store’s manager. “We used to rely on word of mouth, but we’re actually getting walk-ins now.”
Rubber City Comics was forced from its Quaker Square location last September when the University of Akron closed all of its retail operations.
The store began as a comic book stand in that location back in 1976, and it had been there ever since, making it the longest-running comic book store in Akron.
Chris Smith, a comic book enthusiast who now runs social media for the shop, has fond memories of buying comic books at the tiny Quaker Square stand when he was only 10 years old.
Through Smith, Hoff met Scott Malensek, a fellow comic book enthusiast who owns the Stew Pot Kitchen in Akron.
Hoff and Malensek collaborated, and the shop was temporarily crammed in the back of his restaurant in September.
Now, five months later, Rubber City Comics is stretching out its legs in a full-sized store.
After multiple moves, Smith already feels like this is the store’s permanent home.
“We’ve already realized this is a great location,” Smith said. “It’s kind of become a cultural destination.”
This relocation was made possible by Downtown Akron Partnership’s “pop up” program, which looks for new or existing businesses and matches them with downtown property owners who have empty storefront space.
The program subsidizes the businesses’ rents the first six months in hopes that they will decide to stay downtown. It is funded through the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Each business receives a different subsidy amount, up to $1,000 per month, based on a number of criteria.
Rubber City Comics is the fourth business so far to have received a subsidy from the program. Others include Pressed for Success, Ely Road Boutique and Sweet Mary’s bakery, which is located just doors down from the comic book store.
Smith said the shop had a “soft opening” a few weeks ago when it was officially open for business. The grand opening will serve as an official celebration.
People were walking into the shop even before the soft opening, Hoff said. New and regular customers stopped by while employees built and stocked the shelves.
The shop has acquired a number of loyal customers since its humble beginnings. Steve Simler of Akron has been visiting the shop since the mid-1970s.
“They’ve always gone out of their way for customer service,” he said. “I’ve been dealing with them all these years and have never been disappointed.
Smith described comic books as “a true art form.”
“This is our modern mythology,” he said. “I don’t just like it for the store, I love the art.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com.