Post by Admin on Dec 28, 2013 20:39:41 GMT
After 13 years working as an English teacher, Brad Gile was ready for a change.
Gile, who has been a comic book lover all his life, opened Stairway To Heaven Comics earlier this year in downtown Exeter in the basement of the same building that houses Water Street Bookstore.
Gile acknowledged that making the move from teaching English — his most recent job was in Beverly, Mass., at North Shore Academy, where he worked with students with behavioral problems — to running his own business was nerve-wracking at times.
"It can be frightening," said Gile, of Amesbury, Mass., about running his own business. "But I have such optimism because people in Exeter have really embraced this store and they seem to really want to support local businesses, which is so great."
Gile said he had been thinking about trying to run his own business, and with his wife's support, finally decided to make the move.
"It's always been in the back of my mind, but I never pulled the trigger," Gile said. "I really needed a change. Luckily, I have a very supportive wife and I was able to do this."
Gile's experience working with teenagers as a teacher will surely help him in his new business.
During a recent visit to Stairway To Heaven Comics, Gile could be seen talking and joking easily with a group of teenagers who came into the store.
Gile recalled the frustration of trying to find comics when he was a child.
"When I was collecting comics, you'd go and tried to find stuff catch as catch can, but you never could find a string of consecutive issues," Gile said. "Plus, they were all kind of bent and mushed in. I always thought it was neat to have them placed carefully in good condition and easy to see."
That's exactly how Stairway to Heaven Comics displays its comics and graphic novels. All of them are arranged in white display racks, separated by title or writer.
Comic books and graphic novels have become so popular that the new arrivals fill one entire rack every week.
"Every week this is full, all these comics came out just today," Gile said as he pointed to a rack of new comics. "Wednesday is the day for new comics."
Unlike 20 years ago, many of the comic books and graphic novels he sells are geared toward adults, but he has a wide range of customers.
"It's remarkable, I have all different types of people, all different ages; it's really wonderful," Gile said. "Plus, many young women, women in their 20s and 30s, are very much into comics, which I didn't realize."
But Gile stressed he has a specific section of the store with comics geared toward younger readers.
He said he believes comics have become more popular with adults because at their core, comics are a "great source of entertainment," but they also help people "to understand the world better."
Plus, the quality of the art in comics and graphic novels has improved tremendously, he said.
"The art has really stepped up over the last few decades, the production is tremendous," Gile said.
Hollywood has increasingly mined comic books and graphic novels as ideas for not only movies such as "Iron Man," "Superman" and "Spiderman," but also for television hits such as "The Walking Dead," which came from a comic.
"Usually a graphic novel is a bigger book, sometimes it compiles several issues, sometimes it's just one book," Gile said about the difference between graphic novels and comics.
Some of his most popular comics include all the "Batman" comics, the "Locke & Key" series by Joe Hill and "My Little Pony," Gile said.
"The young girls really adore the art," Gile said of "My Little Pony." "But we get older readers, too."
Individual comics cost $3 to $5 each, while graphic novels run anywhere from $13 to $20, according to Gile.
Gile said he has enjoyed having many Phillips Exeter Academy students as customers.
"That's one of the reasons I set up shop here," he said.
In addition to selling comics and graphic novels, his store also sells posters and has a small selection of old-fashioned record players and used albums.
The store also has a group of students who play "Magic: The Gathering," a trading card game, and he now offers a once-weekly comic art class taught by local comic artist Jake Allen.
"It teaches students how to tell a story, panel by panel," Gile said about the class.
The first class is already filled with eight people and they have five more on a waiting list, which means Gile will likely hold a second class, he said.
"People really seem to love it," Gile said.
Dan Chartrand, owner of the Water Street Bookstore, said Gile understands what he needs to do to run a community-based business.
"He's holding events for his patrons, he has art lessons, he's brought in artists to work with kids," Chartrand said. "He runs a clean, bright shop, and he's completely welcoming."
Chartrand said when he sees Gile, he feels like he's watching himself when he opened Water Street Bookstore in 1991.
The opening of Stairway To Heaven is yet another sign of how Exeter "increasingly is a destination site for a wide variety of shoppers," Chartrand said.
"More startup retailers see Exeter as a viable location for businesses to not only open but to thrive because of a wide and varied audience," Chartrand said.
Chartrand said his store has always had a small collection of comics, but with Gile's store opening, they are thinking about using that space for something else.
"Exeter is becoming a bookstore destination," Chartrand said.
Gile credits Chartrand with helping him get his business established in the downtown.
"He certainly has helped me quite a lot, sending customers down, allowing me to put a flier up there," Gile said. "He's been super, super supportive. All the employees have been really helpful."
Gile encourages people who have never read comics or haven't read for years, to give today's newer, better produced, more substantial versions a try.
"That's always fun for me to talk to new customers," Gile said. "I love to help people. It's so much fun to suggest things I think are neat."
Gile, who has been a comic book lover all his life, opened Stairway To Heaven Comics earlier this year in downtown Exeter in the basement of the same building that houses Water Street Bookstore.
Gile acknowledged that making the move from teaching English — his most recent job was in Beverly, Mass., at North Shore Academy, where he worked with students with behavioral problems — to running his own business was nerve-wracking at times.
"It can be frightening," said Gile, of Amesbury, Mass., about running his own business. "But I have such optimism because people in Exeter have really embraced this store and they seem to really want to support local businesses, which is so great."
Gile said he had been thinking about trying to run his own business, and with his wife's support, finally decided to make the move.
"It's always been in the back of my mind, but I never pulled the trigger," Gile said. "I really needed a change. Luckily, I have a very supportive wife and I was able to do this."
Gile's experience working with teenagers as a teacher will surely help him in his new business.
During a recent visit to Stairway To Heaven Comics, Gile could be seen talking and joking easily with a group of teenagers who came into the store.
Gile recalled the frustration of trying to find comics when he was a child.
"When I was collecting comics, you'd go and tried to find stuff catch as catch can, but you never could find a string of consecutive issues," Gile said. "Plus, they were all kind of bent and mushed in. I always thought it was neat to have them placed carefully in good condition and easy to see."
That's exactly how Stairway to Heaven Comics displays its comics and graphic novels. All of them are arranged in white display racks, separated by title or writer.
Comic books and graphic novels have become so popular that the new arrivals fill one entire rack every week.
"Every week this is full, all these comics came out just today," Gile said as he pointed to a rack of new comics. "Wednesday is the day for new comics."
Unlike 20 years ago, many of the comic books and graphic novels he sells are geared toward adults, but he has a wide range of customers.
"It's remarkable, I have all different types of people, all different ages; it's really wonderful," Gile said. "Plus, many young women, women in their 20s and 30s, are very much into comics, which I didn't realize."
But Gile stressed he has a specific section of the store with comics geared toward younger readers.
He said he believes comics have become more popular with adults because at their core, comics are a "great source of entertainment," but they also help people "to understand the world better."
Plus, the quality of the art in comics and graphic novels has improved tremendously, he said.
"The art has really stepped up over the last few decades, the production is tremendous," Gile said.
Hollywood has increasingly mined comic books and graphic novels as ideas for not only movies such as "Iron Man," "Superman" and "Spiderman," but also for television hits such as "The Walking Dead," which came from a comic.
"Usually a graphic novel is a bigger book, sometimes it compiles several issues, sometimes it's just one book," Gile said about the difference between graphic novels and comics.
Some of his most popular comics include all the "Batman" comics, the "Locke & Key" series by Joe Hill and "My Little Pony," Gile said.
"The young girls really adore the art," Gile said of "My Little Pony." "But we get older readers, too."
Individual comics cost $3 to $5 each, while graphic novels run anywhere from $13 to $20, according to Gile.
Gile said he has enjoyed having many Phillips Exeter Academy students as customers.
"That's one of the reasons I set up shop here," he said.
In addition to selling comics and graphic novels, his store also sells posters and has a small selection of old-fashioned record players and used albums.
The store also has a group of students who play "Magic: The Gathering," a trading card game, and he now offers a once-weekly comic art class taught by local comic artist Jake Allen.
"It teaches students how to tell a story, panel by panel," Gile said about the class.
The first class is already filled with eight people and they have five more on a waiting list, which means Gile will likely hold a second class, he said.
"People really seem to love it," Gile said.
Dan Chartrand, owner of the Water Street Bookstore, said Gile understands what he needs to do to run a community-based business.
"He's holding events for his patrons, he has art lessons, he's brought in artists to work with kids," Chartrand said. "He runs a clean, bright shop, and he's completely welcoming."
Chartrand said when he sees Gile, he feels like he's watching himself when he opened Water Street Bookstore in 1991.
The opening of Stairway To Heaven is yet another sign of how Exeter "increasingly is a destination site for a wide variety of shoppers," Chartrand said.
"More startup retailers see Exeter as a viable location for businesses to not only open but to thrive because of a wide and varied audience," Chartrand said.
Chartrand said his store has always had a small collection of comics, but with Gile's store opening, they are thinking about using that space for something else.
"Exeter is becoming a bookstore destination," Chartrand said.
Gile credits Chartrand with helping him get his business established in the downtown.
"He certainly has helped me quite a lot, sending customers down, allowing me to put a flier up there," Gile said. "He's been super, super supportive. All the employees have been really helpful."
Gile encourages people who have never read comics or haven't read for years, to give today's newer, better produced, more substantial versions a try.
"That's always fun for me to talk to new customers," Gile said. "I love to help people. It's so much fun to suggest things I think are neat."
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