PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Over the past couple of years, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many small businesses in the region to shut down.
Philadelphia’s first comic book store faces threats of a similar fate, but the comics community is pulling together to help a man who has led the way for so many in the industry.
“It’s nice to know that people appreciate us and want to help us out in our time of need,” said Mike Ferrero, the owner of Fat Jack’s Comicrypt in Rittenhouse.
He said that location has served fans of comics for 46 ½ years, while he also owns a store in Oaklyn, New Jersey.
Ferrero says business has been slow since the pandemic began, and he may have to shut his doors for good.
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“We are not getting that Center City office crowd that we did before COVID,” said Ferrero. Center City District’s latest report said that foot traffic among non-resident workers was only 57% of the level in 2019, while visitor and shopper foot traffic was only 70%.
“Fat Jack’s has been such an institution in the comics industry,” said Nick Barrucci, who is CEO of Mount Laurel-based comics company Dynamite Entertainment.
“A lot of creators [who] first started working in comics actually started or were at Fat Jack’s at a very young age.”
Barucci said he was one of them.
“I grew up at Fat Jack’s,” he said. “When I was 13 years old, Mike started selling me comic books wholesale, so I could start a convention … how many other people would help a kid become a retailer by selling him wholesale?”
Barrucci, 53, now publishes comics from James Bond to Battlestar Galactica. He says the industry is one big family, and everyone is banding together to help save Fat Jack’s.
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“I sold some original artwork of mine, and a comic creator friend of mine donated a few pieces of art,” he said. “This past week, we raised another $3,700 for Fat Jack’s and this was all donated to help Mike.“
“You get to know people over the years and when someone is in the time of need, [they] step up whenever they can. I am humbled by what is going on,” said Ferrero.
Organizers have set up a GoFundMe page for Ferrero, with a goal of raising $20,000.