July 15: Whitehall, PA
A bad experience at his local comic-book store prompted Harry Kerch to prove he could do things better. When that bad experience was followed by a really bad day at his fulltime job, he knew he’d had enough signs pointing him in the right direction. On July 1, 1994, Harry brought Comicmasters, Inc. to life in Whitehall, Pennsylvania.
Fifteen years later, the store is still going strong serving a diverse and thriving clientele. Harry attributes much of the store’s success to his continued renovations, never keeping things the same too long in his store.
“We constantly change the appearance of our store, so don’t get used to the look,” he reports. “We want to make frequent changes so our regulars don’t get bored with the scenery. We also try to know our customers, not just their names, but what’s going on in their lives. After all, we see them every week.”
That kind of customer service goes beyond the stores décor. “Every year,” Harry notes, “we throw a very large party. We buy out a movie theatre showing [a comic-related movie] exclusively for our customers. The movie is shown in the a.m. and then our customers come back to the store for lunch, raffles, auctions, sales, trivia, signings, and more. It’s really an opportunity for us to thank our customers for their continued support.”
Although he had some trepidation about whether he could survive in business when he opened the store a decade and a half ago, Harry has made his way successfully by keeping his eye on his customers and their wants and needs. And owning his own business has been a blessing for Harry as well: “The best thing about owning your own business is the luxury of having the ability to schedule yourself off when you need it. Take the day off and kayak down the river. You’re not going to get rich running a comic store, but you can have the time to do the things you want with friends and family when you want.”
Comicmasters Inc.
812 Whitehall Mall
Whitehall, Pa. 18052
comicmastersonline.com
comicmasters@msn.com
610-266-7670
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Civil War by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven (Marvel)
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