The city of Los Angeles is reportedly toughening up its restrictions on “non-essential” business operations, threatening to shut off water and power to businesses that are not in compliance. This includes comic stores that were offering curbside service, at least according to two L.A. retailers.
Collector’s Paradise, with two stores in Los Angeles and one in nearby Pasadena, noted in an email to its customers this week that it received calls from city officials warning the stores to close. No further actions were taken by officials after the warning, and Collector’s Paradise has closed all three locations to live operations. Collector’s Paradise is still taking phone and internet orders, shipping from a remote location. Gift cards are available, as is the store’s eBay page.
Collector’s Paradise NoHo store
Credit: Collector’s Paradise
Golden Apple Comics also closed its carhop service on Wednesday. The store is also still taking phone and internet orders, and it’s eBay page remains open as well. Owner Ryan Liebowitz is taking a highly personal approach to re-orienting his business.
“We’re going totally old-school, ’80s style, like the days before there was an internet,” Liebowitz said. “We’re calling every one of our customers and saying, ‘Hey, Bob. How you doing? We’re still here and can get you your comics. We can either hold them until we reopen or we can ship them to you now. Tell us what you need, we’ll pull anything in the shop for you. You want old stuff or trade paperbacks? Tell us what you’re looking for, we’ll tell you what we’ve got.’”
Golden Apple is located in Los Angeles’ high-density Melrose/Hancock Park neighborhood where Liebowitz is seeing a change firsthand.“I tell people it’s like the zombie apocalypse without the zombies,” he said. “The streets are empty. There are a few cars, but not many. It’s eerie.”
Los Angeles, Pasadena, and Long Beach have independent civic health departments which guide city attorneys and help establish what are considered essential businesses, in conjunction with their mayor’s offices. Other outlying areas of the larger Los Angeles County are reportedly deferring to California’s governor, Gavin Newsom. But the move from in-store to curbside to electronic only is an evolution that may become part of “the new normal” for the duration, no matter if you’re in Dallas, Denver, or Detroit. Liebowitz remains optimistic.
“People are buying gift cards or putting money on deposit with us so they can pick up their books next month or whenever this lifts,” he said. “We have great and generous customers. I like to think we’re all part of the same community. It’s great to see the love reflected back. I just want this to be over as soon as possible, but we have to be safe about it, too. We’ve been here for 40 years, and the goal is to be here for the next 40 years, too.”