LAURINBURG — If there were such a thing as a hidden gem for something that has been around for more than 20 years, then Korner Comics in Laurinburg might be it.
But if Sheldon Cooper, Leonard Hofstadter, Howard Wolowitz and Rajesh Koothrappali were to hang out anywhere in Laurinburg, it would be at Korner Comics.
When Ed Ford and his wife Shirley returned from his job overseas, he was looking for something to do. When his only possibility became a return trip overseas, he decided to take the leap into a career change.
“My teenage son (Chris) was interested in comic books, and we’d take weekend trips looking for comic books,” Ford explained. “So I thought it would be an opportunity for a niche business in a rural area.”
Ford’s business was born in a small space at the old flea market near the bowling alley. But when that closed, he opened the Korner Comics in the Scotland Square Mini Mall on South Main Street in the space once held by Travel Time.
“Comic books back then cost less than $1,” Ford said. “Now, most are $3 to $5 — and sometimes they can go as high as $9.99 for the special ones.”
The business started well, and Ford began to see regulars developing.
“But back then, there was no Walmart here, no eBay and no internet,” he said. “But lately, it’s been terrible.
“There are hardly any comic books store anywhere now, because so much is available online,” he added.
Still, Korner Comics lives on. And they say “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” so Ford said his business is now part of eBay.
“That’s worked out pretty well — but I’ve found that, in my opinion, eBay bends over more for the buyer than it does for the seller,” he said. “But I have to be there.”
Despite the challenges over the years, Korner Comics is packed from wall to wall and floor to ceiling with more than 300 new comic book titles, figurines, DVDs, cards, posters, statues, T-shirts and much more. Companies like Marvel, DC, Image and others regularly supply Ford with all the newest items — the latest “big thing” are the Marvel “Pops” depicting such characters as the Hulk, Pennywise, Boba Fett, Deathstroke, Ghostface, Firestorm and others.
A large majority of the comic books are in mint condition and include such titles as Superman, Spider-Man, Xmen, Walking Dead, Batman and more.
“I get about 300 new titles every month,” Ford said.
About three months ago, Ford was dealt his most serious challenge in Hurricane Florence — a challenge from which he continues to recover from.
“The entire store was flooded,” Ford said. “There was at least one inch of rain in the store, which may not seem like much, but with all the paper in here, it just continued to absorb.
“Even a little drop of water on a comic book makes it all but worthless,” he added.
The result was devastating. Immediately after Florence left Scotland County, Ford said he was forced to throw out between 8,000 and 10,000 comic books.
“That really set me back … and still is,” he said. “I’d say I’m still down about 40 percent since the storm.”
Ford said he still has some regular customers. One of those is Kathleen Purcell of Laurinburg, who visits Korner Comics around this time of year looking for Christmas gifts for her four grandsons.
“I’m very glad this store is here,” she said. “One of my grandson has probably the biggest collection of comic books there is, and when birthdays and Christmas and any special event is coming, he gives me a list of titles he’s hoping to get.”
Ford said if he doesn’t have a title or item in stock, he can order it and have it delivered to the store usually within a week.
In an effort to pump up the business, Korner Comics participates in the “Free Comic Book Day” on the first Saturday in May each year, as well as the “Halloween Fest” in October. Ford said he will usually have up to 20 different titles with multiple copies of each, and each visitor is given one free book.
“It’s a way to introduce new readers to comic books,” Ford said. “It brings people in, but it’s rare we see them return.”
One of the biggest frustrations, Ford says, is that the comic book industry has missed the boat on promoting comic books during television shows like “The Big Bang Theory,” “Walking Dead” and others.
“It would be a perfect opportunity to run commercials about new comic books and other merchandise,” he said. “But they’ve never done that.
“And people don’t ever see a movie and think they needed to get the comic book,” he added. “Usually it’s the other way around, so the movie industry benefits from us.”
Still, Ford remembers the days when “The Big Bang Theory” influenced his business in a positive way.
“I’ve had a lot of ‘Big Bang’ fans come in here,” he said. “It did help make comic books popular again, but it’s been hard to sustain.”
But despite the difficulties, Ford isn’t tossing in the towel. He can be found at Korner Comics every single day of the year except Christmas.
Korner Comics is open Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. To reach the business by telephone, call 910-610-4127.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or [email protected].
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