If you're in the market for an old Superman comic or a first-season Michael Jordan action figure, there's a store in downtown Joliet for you.Galaxy Cards, Comics and Collectibles recently opened at 151 N. Ottawa St. under owner Dan Pfeifer.
He runs a Galaxy shop in Naperville near the Fox Valley Mall, and decided to expand when he noticed he had customers coming in from Will and Grundy counties.
'Downtown Joliet's a pretty cool place,' he said.
'I'm originally from Aurora, so I can relate to the older cities.
When I started looking, this place attracted my attention immediately.'
The corner-shop, brick-front exterior attracted him, as did a local grant program for new businesses.
He decided to start looking in May, by June he had the property, and on July 10 he opened for business.
A former manager of a multi-million dollar retail store and collector since age 5, he realized he was either going to have to start a business or buy a new house.
'It's something I love doing,' he said.
'I've got a basement, a garage and an attic full of stuff I've collected over the years.
My theme is, `Relive your childhood.' When you walk in, I want people to go, `Wow, this is stuff I had as a kid.' I pride myself on having things for the young and for the young at heart.'
His personal collection of comic books, superhero figurines and sports memorabilia spurred him to leave the corporate life in favor of making his hobby his livelihood.
Galaxy offers a little of everything to collectors: supplies for collecting, displays of sports cards -- single player cards and packs; a wall of comic books, new and old with back issues available; various sizes of action figures; and 'all the gaming stuff.'
'Magic: The Gathering is the fasting-growing card game in North America,' he said.
'We have a big tournament at the Naperville store; we'll get 20 to 30 people in on Friday and Saturday nights.
It's got a big following.'
His plan is to turn Galaxy's back room, with its high ceilings and wood floors, into a full-time gaming room.
Now, it's used for Saturday afternoon Pokemon tournaments.
Joliet has a big sports following, and sports memorabilia sells well, as do the comics, he said.
Anything that has to do with Pokemon or WWF Wrestling flies off the shelves, he said.
Although he's only been open a month, Pfeifer said he's been amazed at the number of customers his store is attracting.
'Business has been incredible so far,' he said.
'You've got to anticipate that for the first five to eight months you won't see a profit, but we've far exceeded my expectations.
There's been a lot of repeat business and a lot of word of mouth.'
Galaxy has free parking in the back, so there's no need to worry about feeding the meters.
Pfeifer has discovered that being downtown, away from the commercial west side, is a bonus for him.
'The most common thing I hear is, `I'm glad you're down here,'' he said. 'I've been telling people this is the time for Mom-and-Pop stores to come alive.
If you have a unique business and you're not competing with anyone, this is your kind of downtown.'
His only wish is that more downtown businesses would stay open later.
With dockside gambling available and a hotel opening soon, he pointed out that businesses would benefit from longer hours, when boat-goers would need a change of scenery.
'I'm pretty confident there's gambling after 3:30 in the afternoon,' he said.
Galaxy Cards, Comics and Collectibles, (815) 726-8783, is on the Internet at www.glaxaycards.com. The store is at 151 N. Ottawa St. and store hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
Dan Pfeifer, owner of Galaxy Comics, just opened his store at Ottawa and Van Buren streets in Joliet. Pfeifer stocks comic books, action figures, games and magazines.
