Inflation's bite is leading Charlottetown comic-book store to close

One of Charlottetown's longest-running comic-book stores is closing at the end of the month, and the owner says inflation is to blame.

Dylan Miller said what's happened withthe economy recentlyhas forced him to close his doors at Lightning Bolt Comics and Games.

"There's a lot of shipping costs and stuff involved," he said."The profit to be gained from it wasn't meeting the expectations of my life."

As well, flooding from post-tropical storm Fiona damaged his premises in the basement of a Grafton Street storefront. As a small business owner, he couldn't afford to repair it and go on.

Miller was working in Vancouver more than two decades ago when he began thinking of opening a comic-book store. He was unhappy at his job and yearned for personal fulfilment.

So he decided to move back to P.E.I. and take the leap.

Lightning Bolt Comics and Games opened Dec. 1, 1999, stocked with iconic titles like Spiderman and Archie.

Building a community

The community atmosphere inthe store over the last 24 yearshas been wonderful to see, he said.

"I get to meet a lot of different people from different walks of life that are all connected by their love of the art,games and things that we play here," he said.

We're not tied to this particular location or this particular thing, so we'll continue to be friends and family forever. Dylan Miller

"It's been very touching to see a lot of the comments and thoughts from people and the impact that this place and myself have sort of made on them."

He said most of his closest friends today are people he met when he started the business, which made the decision to close bittersweet for both him and his customers.

"We're not tied to this particular location or this particular thing, so we'll continue to be friends and family forever," he said.

Miller said he's grateful to those who visited Lightning Bolt Comics and Games through the years.

"I'd just like to thank everyone in the Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and Maritime community that's always been supportive of me and my efforts to teach people how to play games, and share my love of comic books and art," he said.

He said there will be a largeblowout sale toward the end of June to sell the bulk of hisremaining inventory.