The good guys don’t always win. Unfortunately, our world is harsher than that of comic books and after 42 years of battling in the trenches of comic book retail, Zanadu Comics will be closing its doors at the end of January 2018. Believe us when we say that this decision was not made lightly. There are hundreds of reasons we could list, but the truth is that the money coming in does not equal the money going out. Perry has worked and hustled and played the angles for longer than he should have been able to, but time has a way of catching up with even the most diligent businessman. The industry has changed, our clientele has diminished and unfortunately, we are just too far in the red to continue to serve as your local comic book store.
Words cannot express how deeply Zanadu has appreciated our customers over the years, especially the Wednesday Warriors who made the weekly pilgrimage in rain, snow or shine (or riot) to get their fix. You are the reason why Zanadu has been able to keep the doors open for so long and we’d like to think that we did our very best to provide a fun, comfortable and enjoyable shopping experience for every single person who walked though the door. We tried to make a place where we wouldn’t just sell comics, but help people find stories that would live with them forever.
In addition, the support for our GoFundMe campaign this past year has been staggering and it’s nice to know how much Zanadu has impacted people’s lives since 1975. It has been our absolute and utter pleasure to serve your comic book needs, but alas the dream has ended and it’s time for us to get real jobs.
Our final day of business will be Sunday, January 28th with the 24th being the last Wednesday we will receive new comic books. Our orders will be very tight throughout the next two months, so we apologize in advance if we sell out of your favorite issue quickly, but there is little option as we don’t want to be stuck with extra stock upon closing. Please let us know if we can hold or special order anything in the next two months, though be aware that it must have a release date of 1/24/18 or before. We will be filling subscriber orders until January 24th, so if you are a subscriber with us, please stop in before Sunday, the 28th to clean out your holds. Also, Zanadu is currently having a MASSIVE sale to make the move out process easier, so if you’ve had your eye on something, now is the time to do a bit of early holiday shopping for yourself or loved ones.
The battle may be finished, but the war is far from over because like any good super-hero story, there is never an end, just a slow fade out to a new beginning. The joy of sharing our unabashed love of comic books with Seattle for 42 years is something that all of us here at Zanadu can be proud of, especially Perry, president and janitor, who sacrificed everything to keep this place alive for so many years. Our deepest thanks to every single person who helped build Zanadu up from the small, shared space in the corner of a used bookstore to the third avenue location that we all know today. The love and positive energy provided by you all will ensure that the legend of Zanadu will forever be remembered in the hearts of comic book lovers everywhere.
