JHU is closing its Manhattan location, remains open on Staten Island

ron hill and nick purpura

JHU is closing on Manhattan. This one hurts and lands near residence: actually. JHU is The Beat’s native comics store, at all times there rain or shine to choose up a final minute reward, a a lot wanted comics field or simply cease in for some dialog. 

But after a number of years at 481 Third Avenue in its Kips Bay location, co-owners Ron Hill and Nick Purpura are shutting down this retailer to pay attention on their flagship, positioned at 299 New Dorp Lane, Staten Island. In an announcement posted on FB, which you’ll learn beneath, they cite rising prices, and the Beat can even testify to this: costs in Manhattan are uncontrolled. The retailer will shut on the finish of September. 

We’ll have way more from Nick and Ron as this story unfolds, however proceed to assist them at their Staten Island base. JHU – which started life as Jim Hanley’s Universe – is one of many founding comics outlets of the direct market. 

Jim Hanley’s Universe began in 1983 beneath the possession of retailing legend Jim Hanley. Always having two places, one a commuter retailer in Manhattan and the opposite a Staten Island establishment, Hanley’s was a comics establishment. The Manhattan web site was positioned on thirty third Street throughout from the Empire State constructing, the place it had signings by each comics luminary – and a very notable drop in by Benedict Cumberbatch in his Doctor Strange costume. It was additionally an trade vacation spot – new comedian ebook day would discover DC and Marvel staffers stopping in to get their weekly comics. (It was additionally concerned in a legendary comics scandal, however we’ll go away that story for one more time.) Even in these occasions, I’d sometimes run into comics people out and about on their approach to JHU. 

Reopening as JHU beneath the possession of Hill and Purpura after Hanley’s retirement, JHU moved round within the NoMad/Okay-Town space, ending up on Third Avenue throughout the road from a Stickys in a type of beneath road stage mall taht additionally housed a nail salon and a doggie daycare. It was a unusual location, one seemingly suited to the thought of a comics store, however once more, these rising prices. 

There’s way more to be stated – and whereas I don’t low cost the final malaise that comics are in, it’s additionally a novel location that had distinctive points. St. Marks Comics, one other Manhattan legend, closed  in Manhattan in 2019 however reopened in a stylish Brooklyn location. Midtown Comics and Forbidden Planet are nonetheless hanging on in Manhattan however some motion has shifted to Brooklyn….and Staten island. 

As unhappy because the closing of the Manhattan outpost is, JHU abides. It’s much more an establishment for Staten Island, with roots going again to 1983, when Hanley turned co-owner of a store on his native island. The retailer will proceed on there as a vacation spot for all issues comics. 

But it leaves The Beat and so many others unhappy. Where am I going to get my comedian books now?

The assertion is beneath:

After 10 years of operation in Manhattan (and a long time earlier than that as Jim Hanley’s Universe), JHU Comic Books will probably be closing the Manhattan location on the finish of September. Rising prices have pressured JHU to make this alternative, and so they have determined that the easiest way to proceed to serve NYC comedian followers is to focus on the operations of the flagship location, positioned at 299 New Dorp Lane, Staten Island.

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