Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Feb 16, 2015 21:59:53 GMT -6
Alex’s MVP Cards and Comics has just moved to a new, slightly less convenient, location in the Yorkville section of New York City, but the customers who came in on a recent Wednesday were happy to make the adjustment.
www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/nyregion/alexs-mvp-cards-and-comics-in-yorkville-finds-a-new-home-its-still-tiny.html?_r=1
Change, Slower Than a Speeding Bullet
Alex’s MVP Cards and Comics in Yorkville Finds a New Home. It’s Still Tiny.
I’m not a big change guy,” said Alex Gregg, the owner of Alex’s MVP Cards and Comics. The depth of that understatement becomes clear as you get to know Mr. Gregg, who has been married for 28 years, tended bar at Elaine’s for 22 years and ran his comic store at 256 East 89th Street for 26 years.
But an adjustment became a necessity when Mr. Gregg learned last summer that his lease for the comic store would not be renewed. It was a typical New York real estate story — a bigger business wants to expand, a smaller one loses out — but in this case, it had a positive ending. After months of searching, Alex’s MVP Cards and Comics has a new home at 1577 York Avenue.
It’s only about a half-mile and a 10-minute walk away, though in the wrong direction from the 4, 5 and 6 trains. Thankfully for Mr. Gregg, comic book fans are a loyal lot.
On a recent Wednesday — as any fanboy knows, the day when new comics arrive — the cold weather and the slushy streets did not deter true believers from getting their weekly fix. “It’s a longer walk to my bus stop, but it’s O.K. — I’ll brave it,” said Marvin Cohen, a property manager at an assisted living facility, who has been an MVP regular for 11 years. Mr. Cohen is a big DC Comics fan, though he makes an exception for Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Lauren Lam, a high school student, is early in her comics obsession. She, too, would not be deterred by a location that was “a bit more inconvenient.” “I still want to come here as often as I can to support a local store,” she said. Her favorite comics include “Grayson,” a Batman spinoff featuring the former Robin in James Bond-like adventures, and “Injustice,” which imagines Superman as a despot.
Abby Gannon also dropped by. She is a schoolteacher and an X-Men fanatic who is still disappointed that her favorite series, “All New X-Factor,” about a corporate-sponsored team of mutants, was canceled.
The new store is about the same size as the old, which is to say tiny: 450 square feet, with nearly every available surface already in use. But it is more brightly lit and does have a basement for storage.
Mr. Gregg, who was born in Astoria, has been a memorabilia dealer in earnest since 1985, when he started a mail-order baseball-card operation out of a basement. He moved to MVP’s original location in 1988. “It’s a fun business,” he said. “You never know what someone is going to bring in and sell you.”
For instance, in 1989, a guy arrived wanting to sell a 20-issue set of X-Men comics published from 1963 to 1968. “It was more than I could afford,” Mr. Gregg said. At the time, a comic-book price guide valued X-Men No. 1 at $750; that book is now worth $42,000.
Mr. Gregg was luckier around 10 years ago when Upper Deck released its History of the United States cards. “I figured teachers or parents would like these for kids because they were informative,” Mr. Gregg said. As he opened packs in an effort to compile a complete set, he found a one-of-a-kind Benjamin Franklin card, which he sold for an amount he will not disclose. “It broke my heart to part with it, but I needed the money,” he said.
Mr. Gregg is more dispassionate about the fate of his former haunt. “My old store is going to be storage for forks, knives and spoons,” he said. “But I have no ill feelings.”
www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/nyregion/alexs-mvp-cards-and-comics-in-yorkville-finds-a-new-home-its-still-tiny.html?_r=1
Change, Slower Than a Speeding Bullet
Alex’s MVP Cards and Comics in Yorkville Finds a New Home. It’s Still Tiny.
I’m not a big change guy,” said Alex Gregg, the owner of Alex’s MVP Cards and Comics. The depth of that understatement becomes clear as you get to know Mr. Gregg, who has been married for 28 years, tended bar at Elaine’s for 22 years and ran his comic store at 256 East 89th Street for 26 years.
But an adjustment became a necessity when Mr. Gregg learned last summer that his lease for the comic store would not be renewed. It was a typical New York real estate story — a bigger business wants to expand, a smaller one loses out — but in this case, it had a positive ending. After months of searching, Alex’s MVP Cards and Comics has a new home at 1577 York Avenue.
It’s only about a half-mile and a 10-minute walk away, though in the wrong direction from the 4, 5 and 6 trains. Thankfully for Mr. Gregg, comic book fans are a loyal lot.
On a recent Wednesday — as any fanboy knows, the day when new comics arrive — the cold weather and the slushy streets did not deter true believers from getting their weekly fix. “It’s a longer walk to my bus stop, but it’s O.K. — I’ll brave it,” said Marvin Cohen, a property manager at an assisted living facility, who has been an MVP regular for 11 years. Mr. Cohen is a big DC Comics fan, though he makes an exception for Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Lauren Lam, a high school student, is early in her comics obsession. She, too, would not be deterred by a location that was “a bit more inconvenient.” “I still want to come here as often as I can to support a local store,” she said. Her favorite comics include “Grayson,” a Batman spinoff featuring the former Robin in James Bond-like adventures, and “Injustice,” which imagines Superman as a despot.
Abby Gannon also dropped by. She is a schoolteacher and an X-Men fanatic who is still disappointed that her favorite series, “All New X-Factor,” about a corporate-sponsored team of mutants, was canceled.
The new store is about the same size as the old, which is to say tiny: 450 square feet, with nearly every available surface already in use. But it is more brightly lit and does have a basement for storage.
Mr. Gregg, who was born in Astoria, has been a memorabilia dealer in earnest since 1985, when he started a mail-order baseball-card operation out of a basement. He moved to MVP’s original location in 1988. “It’s a fun business,” he said. “You never know what someone is going to bring in and sell you.”
For instance, in 1989, a guy arrived wanting to sell a 20-issue set of X-Men comics published from 1963 to 1968. “It was more than I could afford,” Mr. Gregg said. At the time, a comic-book price guide valued X-Men No. 1 at $750; that book is now worth $42,000.
Mr. Gregg was luckier around 10 years ago when Upper Deck released its History of the United States cards. “I figured teachers or parents would like these for kids because they were informative,” Mr. Gregg said. As he opened packs in an effort to compile a complete set, he found a one-of-a-kind Benjamin Franklin card, which he sold for an amount he will not disclose. “It broke my heart to part with it, but I needed the money,” he said.
Mr. Gregg is more dispassionate about the fate of his former haunt. “My old store is going to be storage for forks, knives and spoons,” he said. “But I have no ill feelings.”