BREAKING NEWS
Due to increased attendance at comic conventions, fairs and markets in 2023 I will have to consolidate mailing days to Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays although I will try and accommodate any special requests for deliveries for birthdays or other special occasions. I can also arrange to bring orders along to any fairs, conventions and markets for face to face pick up. These changes will take place from the beginning of April 2023.
On May 23rd 2023 The Unreality Store will celebrate its third birthday. Being able to reach this anniversary has been in the main part down to hard work and also the support of everyone who has bought from The Unreality Store, followed on social media, emailed, posted or got in touch with words of guidance and advice. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Normally for most new businesses reaching three years of trading is often a key milestone marking the success and robustness of a business that has been able to navigate the challenges of a formative venture.
But as you know, the last three years have been anything but normal!
I launched in 2020 in the midst of the Covid crisis and at a time where the only means of acquiring back issue comics, graphic novels, vintage roleplaying games and other collectables was on-line. Bricks and mortar stores pivoted to focus sales through their websites and eBay and business boomed as people generally had more time on their hands during lockdown. I missed most of this boom due to the fact that I was a new kid on the block, an unknown quantity in collecting circles, but slowly and steadily have, over the past three years, I have built up a loyal following who shop regularly.
As lockdown eased last year and life got back to some semblance of normality, comic shops, game stores and book shops re-opened and conventions and comic fairs reappeared on the calendar all offering more choice to find that elusive back issue or gaming supplement.
Then in mid/late 2022 the UK Cost of Living Crisis hit and as fuel and food prices have increased, understandably regular spending on non-essential (who said comics were non-essential!!) or luxury items decreased. It’s fair to say that the first two months of 2023 have been quiet in comparison to the same time a year earlier.
I have managed to traverse the challenges of Covid and Cost of Living so far as a solely on-line entity, but as I approach that three year milestone it’s evident that in order to maintain and indeed scale up the business I am going to have to make some changes.
In October I took a small retail space in a Vintage Guru in Northampton which allows me to offer a small selection of comics, graphic novels, roleplaying games and other items such as crime and fantasy books. It’s proved quite successful so I will be looking at other venues in the Midlands area to see if I can replicate this.
2022 saw me attend my first comic conventions and fairs as a trader and whilst I am still on a learning curve in regards of what stock is best to offer in these environments, I am planning to attend more in 2023 and also looking in the possibility of a regular market stall
The change from having a solely online offering to a more hybrid approach will mean some slight changes to my scheduling.
There will still be a regular weekly launch on a Thursday although there may be a decrease in the number of items that are released each week. I’ll try and re-stock any retail outlet every two weeks with new items and for anyone wanting to come by the stall and say hello please see the fixture list of events here
https://theunrealitystore.co.uk/pages/the-unreality-store-fixture-list
Once again thanks for all your support through the last three years.
And like Wolverine I want to be the best at what I do! 😎
