This weekend was the 20th anniversary of Dragon’s Lair’s grand opening. So some comic book/game store (aka nerd magnet) opened, big whoop. In Austin it is a rather big whoop because in my 12 years of living here, they’ve not only been the survivor but a well-deserved champion in the area. Actually, it’s pretty odd that this city doesn’t have as much competition for either of the niche markets Dragon’s Lair covers quite well since Austin is a college town at heart. This doesn’t mean there aren’t other comic book stores here, they just aren’t as well-known nor can I think of any who have lasted as long, other than Funny Papers at Dobie Mall (on the UT campus). The majority of the Austin residents who are into comics will recommend Dragon’s Lair first though. Their other big advantage is with the great selection of games, namely roleplaying games (D&D namely), miniatures (they’re the official Warhammer reseller in the area) and boardgames you won’t find at the usual retailers. I’ve been to a couple other comic book stores here and games tend to be rather secondary to their business so they lack much depth. When I first came to Austin, I did visit King’s Hobby to see what the game options were. Sadly, the selection was more focused on model railroads, historical miniatures and other dying wargames. It was a paradise for the clueless GDW founders. To be fair, King’s Hobby is a great place to buy scale models and the selection of Osprey military uniform books is impressive.
Overall, the variety wouldn’t mean squat if it weren’t for the cheerful, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and never annoyed staff. From the owner David Wheeler down to the counter people, they are the antithesis of Comic Book Guy (aka Jeff Albertson). Trust me, I’ve been a customer at other stores over the years and the gag on The Simpsons is a rather factual stereotype. This doesn’t mean the staff lacks opinions. They post recommendations of various titles, they have gags taped on the walls near the registers (my favorite is the Emperor yelling “West Side!”) but in my years of shopping there, they’ve never really been a den of negativity. Dragon’s Lair is also a retailer I would encourage people who don’t know jack about comics to shop at if they need to purchase a gift for a superhero fan. The staff doesn’t ignore the uninitiated looking for assistance nor do they judge.
This story is starting to turn into hyperbole yet I think not for two other reasons which illustrate Dragon’s Lair’s success over these 20 years. Over the last few years it has expanded from one store on Austin’s north side to three stores (Austin, Round Rock which is my store and the photo, and San Antonio). Multiple locations may not sound too impressive but the second reason is even better. Dragon’s Lair is a sponsor of the Saturday evening BritComs on KLRU (Austin’s PBS). Maybe I should switch that to “was” because I had no luck verifying despite combing through the sites of either parties. Next time I’m there, I’ll ask. If it’s not true anymore, then I’ll replace it with the radio commercials that ran on Bob-FM which is almost unattainable from an economic standpoint in the comic book/gaming store business.
Congratulations Dragon’s Lair, Mr. Wheeler and his staff. May the next 20 years be as successful.