Comic Book World Louisville, KY: Shop Review

I get the opportunity to travel a pretty good bit, and wherever I go I check out the local comic shop.  This is where I'll review them.

Comic Book World of Louisville sits along a busy industrial road south of downtown between the two interstates that make semi-circles around the city.  The shop takes up several store fronts of a strip mall, which it shares with a barber shop.  The sign for the shop is a little off-center indicating the expansion of the store over the years.

Upon walking in, I was immediately struck by the stores cleanliness and openness.  The glass doors and two front windows provided ample daylight while the rest of the store was lit by supermarket style florescent events which poured light evenly throughout the shop.  A white bearded gentleman greeted me and asked if I needed help finding anything. 

Shelves displaying trades and graphic novels are out front and at angles that allow the shoppers body and eyes easy passage into the center of the store.  Occupying bulk of the center space is a massive back issue case.   Most of the stock is recent back issues but there are older bronze and modern age books tucked in as well.  All of the issues are bagged and boarded and alphabetized. 

This picture looks dark but the shop is not.  The owner Doug is on the left mid-ground.

The majority of the back stock came from the walls lining the shop, which are filled with the most recent issues.  One of the things i like most about a store is their stock of new comics.  I don't make it to the store every week so having plenty of recent comics out and easy to see is great for me, and Comic Book World had plenty of that.  Nicely displayed on upright back tilting racks that keep the books from being damaged.

The other half of the store is dedicated to gaming.  A good selection of manuals and boxed sets for a good number of roll playing games, boosters and starters for Magic, Pokemon, and the various Heroclix sets, and strategy games and expansions for Settlers of Catan and the like.  This section shows off miniatures for D&D, Warhammer, & Shadowrun, although they are displayed rather low to the ground.  I had to stoop to get a good view of most of them.  This complaint is middling though as the rest of the store is very well kept.

Games and gaming supplies.  Gamers in Louisville must be shorties.

The best part of the Comic Book World experience though is talking to the owner, Doug.  Running the store for over 20 years in the same location and expanding as neighboring stores became available, Doug is a wealth of information.  Knowledgeable about both comics and games, and how to run a business well, too.

While I was in the shop a customer, a regular from what I gleaned while eavesdropping, came in and asked for a refund on a comic.  The young man bought an issue he already owned, to my surprise, Doug let him.  Returning a comic is like returning a Slurpee or a  bathing suit, it just isn't done.  This small interaction shows what kind of store Comic Book World, it is a great one.

I would definitely shop at Comic Book World again, and if you are in the Louisville, KY area it is worth the trip.  A very good shop.