News

Music Chain Newbury Comics says f**k all y'all, opens superstore

5:06 p.m. · August 25, 2008 · by Amos Barshad

The venerable Boston-area music chain Newbury Comics is opening its 29th location this weekend, a self-described superstore in Norwood, Massachusetts. Notable, of course, because while record shops are, as a general rule, dying, Newbury Comics CEO Mike Dreese has the stones to go big or go home. And it's not like Dreese has to go far to see the decay—both the now completely defunct Tower Records and the perhaps soon to be Virgin Megastore have had stores shuttered in the multi-story corner space just a few shops down from Newbury Comics’ original and still-flourishing Newbury Street location.

Which, as Dreese explained to the Boston Herald, is a good thing—the lack of competition in this down market means the independent company is in a strong position to make a swipe at total domination. As its music sales have dropped—making up just 43% of total sales last year, down from 75% a decade ago—Newbury Comics has expanded its offerings in various manners of knick-knackery, dominated by an armada of Red Sox merchandising: T-shirts, mini-bats, gum, license plates, commemorative DVDs, keychains, beach balls, graduation tassles, fine china, nail polish remover. Dreese now describes the chain as a "pop culture department store."

The newest store will be, at 12,000 square feet, over "twice the size of Newbury Comics' average store and will feature a permanent sound system and movable stage for performances, interactive game-playing, a coffee bar and Wi-Fi." It will also have an expanded focus on vinyl—sales have jumped 70% from last year. Bonus fun fact for all my Mass dudes: the space was previously occupied by a car dealership owned by Ernie "I run the automile, muthafuckas" Boch Jr. [Boston Herald via The Daily Swarm]