Post by G on Feb 19, 2009 16:50:07 GMT -5
Zeno's claims to be the 1st comic store in my area and I cannot say I disagree with him because when I was a kid, the 1st comic shops I remember was Zeno's and Benders. But during a conversation with the store owner Wayne, he told me that Benders started out with his collection in his shop. Zeno's probably originated in the late 1970's and as far as I know has been in the same location throughout his career. A little hole in the wall of a strip shopping center off the main rd known as Indian River Rd. Unfortunately, as a kid I grew up closer to Benders and it was the shop I frequented and I did not go to Zeno's until much later in my life. I was probably in my late teens to early 20's by time I made my way into Zeno's.
Zeno's has had its share of ups and downs and by that, I mean by appearance. One of the worst things about Zeno's is it has never been the cleanest or most organized store. I have been in his store many times only to find myself moving items such as toys and boxes out of the way to get to desired books. But it also made for half of the fun of the treasure hunt. In recent years, I have noticed that Wayne has made a much more concerted effort to keep his store neat and clean. I remember being in there and he had hired a guy to organize boxes, books and shelving. A later return had me walking into a store with ewws and ahhs because I was finally seeing the store organized. But, its never long lived. You can go in the next time and find more boxes on top of books you want to get at. I can only say that he's more often to keep it cleaner now than he has done years ago. So usually when I come in, the place is half way respectable which is a far cry from what it used to be. He even had new shelving built for new books. Previously he had the racks that begged for creasing and finding NM copies of new books was a task and often impossible. The last time I was in and seen his new shelving system, this was greatly improved.
Wayne is a 50ish-60ish rather portly man but he is incredibly friendly and happy looking and acting. The only time Ive ever seen him pissed is dealing with mail delivery companies over the phone. Otherwise, he is generally one of the most jovial store owners you will likely ever meet. He's the type that makes you want to come to his store just because he seems like a good guy. But, he suffers from grungy comic store owner appearance as well.
Half of his store is filled with paperback books and occasionally you will be wondering his store at the same time paperback fans are searching his scads of books.
Finding books at Zenos is hit and miss. His pricing is erratic. At times he is outlandishly expensive and at other times he has some of the best bargains around. Also, it doesn't hurt to befriend Wayne because he typically rewards you with steeper discounts the more often you come by. Typically he adds up the books and comes up with a dollar amount and then says "give me this much". Depending on his mood, Ive walked out from anywhere between 10 - 60% in total reductions. On his good days, he can be great. I would have often had gotten more if I knew just how generous he would have been. But, I can never count on it. I have bartered with him occasionally, but he seems a bit put off when you ask for it and he appears more reluctant. When you go up and dont ask for anything, if he knows you it is up to him. Some days I go up with a wad of books hoping for his generous days and come out with like a 10% discount. I just never know what he is up for. Therefore, I only approach his counter with worst case scenarios in mind. If you feel comfortable bartering, I say go for it. He typically is up for it and is easy to deal with. But I reserve those moments for myself when I am in a pinch and definitely need to know for sure Im going to get the discount I need.
You will go through his boxes and find a vast array of material and see many books in less than stellar condition. But at the same time, you will find some NM gems hiding tucked away. Im talking bronze aged gems tucked next to VG copies around it. He's worth the hunt. I would say he's one of the better Bronze Age stores to go to. Once you get to Silver, its almost guaranteed to be lower quality. Same with his Golden Age which he has more than the average store around here but typically low ball low grade stuff. He also has a huge old original art selection. Ive looked through his portfolios a few times, but it seems more so-so to slightly above average stuff than stuff I would really want. But then again, I don't spend a lot of my time looking at his stuff.
I often wonder how this guy stays in business and looks to be doing okay. But he seems to get new stuff periodically and hes always seen flipping at shows. Ive seen and heard of some shows where he has left with nothing. So he may be an easier barter at a show. Ive also seen shows where the competition was blowing him away and you felt kind of bad for him. Sometimes he shows up with questionable stuff and sometimes he has solid material at shows. Just like his store, he is hit and miss.
In closing, I dont stop by his store a lot, but I do make it a point to check him out periodically. And typically, because he's pretty mellow and cool, I like stopping by just to keep up appearances. A lame haul one day is a strong haul the next time. I'll take my chances and return when I can.
Zeno's has had its share of ups and downs and by that, I mean by appearance. One of the worst things about Zeno's is it has never been the cleanest or most organized store. I have been in his store many times only to find myself moving items such as toys and boxes out of the way to get to desired books. But it also made for half of the fun of the treasure hunt. In recent years, I have noticed that Wayne has made a much more concerted effort to keep his store neat and clean. I remember being in there and he had hired a guy to organize boxes, books and shelving. A later return had me walking into a store with ewws and ahhs because I was finally seeing the store organized. But, its never long lived. You can go in the next time and find more boxes on top of books you want to get at. I can only say that he's more often to keep it cleaner now than he has done years ago. So usually when I come in, the place is half way respectable which is a far cry from what it used to be. He even had new shelving built for new books. Previously he had the racks that begged for creasing and finding NM copies of new books was a task and often impossible. The last time I was in and seen his new shelving system, this was greatly improved.
Wayne is a 50ish-60ish rather portly man but he is incredibly friendly and happy looking and acting. The only time Ive ever seen him pissed is dealing with mail delivery companies over the phone. Otherwise, he is generally one of the most jovial store owners you will likely ever meet. He's the type that makes you want to come to his store just because he seems like a good guy. But, he suffers from grungy comic store owner appearance as well.
Half of his store is filled with paperback books and occasionally you will be wondering his store at the same time paperback fans are searching his scads of books.
Finding books at Zenos is hit and miss. His pricing is erratic. At times he is outlandishly expensive and at other times he has some of the best bargains around. Also, it doesn't hurt to befriend Wayne because he typically rewards you with steeper discounts the more often you come by. Typically he adds up the books and comes up with a dollar amount and then says "give me this much". Depending on his mood, Ive walked out from anywhere between 10 - 60% in total reductions. On his good days, he can be great. I would have often had gotten more if I knew just how generous he would have been. But, I can never count on it. I have bartered with him occasionally, but he seems a bit put off when you ask for it and he appears more reluctant. When you go up and dont ask for anything, if he knows you it is up to him. Some days I go up with a wad of books hoping for his generous days and come out with like a 10% discount. I just never know what he is up for. Therefore, I only approach his counter with worst case scenarios in mind. If you feel comfortable bartering, I say go for it. He typically is up for it and is easy to deal with. But I reserve those moments for myself when I am in a pinch and definitely need to know for sure Im going to get the discount I need.
You will go through his boxes and find a vast array of material and see many books in less than stellar condition. But at the same time, you will find some NM gems hiding tucked away. Im talking bronze aged gems tucked next to VG copies around it. He's worth the hunt. I would say he's one of the better Bronze Age stores to go to. Once you get to Silver, its almost guaranteed to be lower quality. Same with his Golden Age which he has more than the average store around here but typically low ball low grade stuff. He also has a huge old original art selection. Ive looked through his portfolios a few times, but it seems more so-so to slightly above average stuff than stuff I would really want. But then again, I don't spend a lot of my time looking at his stuff.
I often wonder how this guy stays in business and looks to be doing okay. But he seems to get new stuff periodically and hes always seen flipping at shows. Ive seen and heard of some shows where he has left with nothing. So he may be an easier barter at a show. Ive also seen shows where the competition was blowing him away and you felt kind of bad for him. Sometimes he shows up with questionable stuff and sometimes he has solid material at shows. Just like his store, he is hit and miss.
In closing, I dont stop by his store a lot, but I do make it a point to check him out periodically. And typically, because he's pretty mellow and cool, I like stopping by just to keep up appearances. A lame haul one day is a strong haul the next time. I'll take my chances and return when I can.