LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS: NEWBURY COMICS

I've written about Newbury Comics before. But I recently had an experience buying something from their website (they are New England based and I am from the Great State of New Jersey). One of their managers (Jennifer) helped me to find what I wanted. A fairly expensive purchase, it was also offered at a better price than anywhere else. It reminded me that I really should be supporting Newbury instead of big box retailers. I do enjoy the tactile experience of going to a store, and I can't do that with Newbury. But I also like the idea of a cool store run by actual people who care about what they are selling, and I'm going to be buying more from Newbury in the future. You should too.

Coincidentally, today I read a message from Newbury founder/boss Mike Dreese. You can read it here: you almost can't tell if it was meant for employees or customers, and I mean that in the best possible way.  It has a level of transparancy that makes you feel like you are a part of what they do, and because of that you feel invested in thier success.  At least that's the way *I* feel. Too often in the music industry - whether it is record labels, retail (which is mainly dead anyway) and the concert industry - you feel like you are buying something from a drug dealer - someone who doesn't care about you at all, they just want as much money as they can get, period. There aren't that many clubs, record labels, or stores that you feel invested in: you want them to succeed, so they'll be there next year.  That's a relationship, not just someone emptying your wallet. That's how I feel about Third Man Records, and it's how I feel about Newbury Comics.  It looks like they will be around for a long time, and here's hoping they will be.