Tampa Bay Comic Shop Selling Holiday Gifts, “$ 1- $ 40,000” Holiday Collectibles

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (WFLA) – If you’re looking for a holiday gift for the ‘nerdy’ collector in your life, Emerald City Comics at Pinellas Park has everything from comics to board and table games, to replicas of statues.

Technically located at a Clearwater address at 4902 113th Ave. N., Emerald City Comics has something for everyone, no matter the budget, but of course their articles should be about comics, TV, movies, and pop culture.

Neil Johnson is the store owner. He said during the pandemic they were closed for five weeks, but each of his employees remained employed. They were able to tool their website and online presence and anyone who wanted to work could come in and get a full paycheck.

“We’ve been pretty unique, everything we sell is luxury, but right now people want luxury and fantasies to get away from real life, so we’ve been doing really well this year. It has been a good year for us. We are very blessed, ”he said.

Johnson and his employees are gearing up for Black Friday and the upcoming holiday season.

He said the most popular things they sell for the holidays are Hasbro toys, including Star Wars and Marvel figures, as well as Funko! Pop figures.

Even with shortages in the supply chain, Johnson said his location was “okay” and ready to go for the holidays.

“We’re fully stocked so I don’t think we’re going to have any shortages for Christmas like they say,” he said. “When you order toys, you order them a year in advance, so we’ve ordered them so far in advance, they’re coming and I think you’ll be fine.”

There is going to be a big sale at the comic book store for Black Friday.

“Up to 30% off products, which is important in our industry,” Johnson said.

While Johnson recognizes that gift certificates don’t have a “personal touch,” it’s often difficult for a collector to shop without knowing what they already have, so gift cards are available. If someone receives a duplicate gift, in-store exchanges are welcome.

In 2022, Emerald City Comics is chasing more expensive, high-end things for collections, as they always have.

Johnson and his employees said their most unique “toy” is an Incredible Hulk collectible statue that sells for almost $ 2,000, as well as a crowd-funded Hasbro toy from Jabba the Hutt’s sailing barge ( from “Star Wars”), which is about six feet long. They will also sell a 1984 GI Joe figure, which will cost between $ 2,000 and $ 3,000.

“I don’t want to scare people. We also have some really inexpensive items, ”Johnson said. “We have a whole children’s section for low-end toys. But all toys should always be related to cartoons, movies, TV, comics. This is where we mark off what we transport.

Funko! Pop vinyl dolls cost around $ 12 for a standard figure, and there are plenty of inexpensive stocking stuffer comics and trinkets out there.

“We have items that are a dollar. We have items that cost $ 40,000, so that’s just a wide range of things. It’s a great place to look around, you can come in, hang out and just check out the things we have, ”Johnson said.

Emerald City Comics also does mail order and curbside pickup orders, in addition to those looking to browse inside the physical store.