Hijinx media blitz!

It was 2002, and Dan Shahin had had enough. A disillusioned software programmer during the dotcom bubble, he was tired of dealing with bad bosses and ill-conceived business plans that wasted money. For Shahin, it was time to find a new career.

Taking time off from programming, he embarked on a cross-country camping trip, where he thought long and hard about what he wanted to do with the next chapter of his life. While software programming paid well, Shahin realized that his true love was comics. And it was during this epiphany that he decided the course of action he would take: save money and open a comic book specialty store.

Not long after he made his decision, events seemed to work out well for the future retailer. He'd negotiated a deal to purchase San Jose, CA's Mike's Coliseum -- a comics shop he'd been working at on the side since he was a teen. And in April of 2002, he renamed the store Hijinx Comics -- a specialty store reflecting what he loves most about the four-color medium.

"I'm passionate about diversity in comics," said Shahin, who quickly went about changing the look and product mix of his new store, replacing sports cards with a wide selection of comics and trade paperbacks. "My goal at the store is to appeal to readers of all ages, young and old. I want my store to be a place for people who enjoy reading."

To do so, he brought in a full line of trades, added new book shelves, and diversified the comics he ordered by racking more titles from smaller publishers.

While the previous owner emphasized sports cards in "Mike's Coliseum," Shahin found the store's transformation into Hijinx Comics -- a store focusing on books -- to be smooth due to his former boss's knack for exceptional customer service. It was for that reason Shahin had a solid core of customers when he took over; consumers who were ready to embrace the store's emphasis on offering primarily comics and trades.

To develop consumer interest in the trade paperbacks and graphic novels he offered, Shahin created a book club for his customers. Customers who sign up for his book club receive a 5% in-store credit towards their next trade purchase each time they buy a graphic novel. This proven retailing tool provides Shahin with important demographic information about his customers. He's able to track his customers' purchases, allowing him to target advertisements and suggestive-selling tools geared toward his customers' likes. It also gives his customers an incentive to buy their trades at Hijinx so they can take advantage of the in-store credit.

Shahin racks his trades by genre. These include: Horror and Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Non-Fiction, Biography and Autobiography, Crime, All-Ages, Super-Hero, Manga, and Humor. One of the things Shahin is looking to do this year is rack his manga by genre as well. Shahin raises the question, "Why shouldn't sci-fi manga be racked with the other sci-fi books?" He also thinks genre-racking manga would help him develop a Romance section in his store.

On the subject of manga, Shahin is presently experimenting with renting manga to his customers. Shahin believes with so many manga titles out there to choose from, a lot of fans are not sure if they want to jump into a series with so many volumes to buy. By renting manga, readers can pay a fraction of the cost of buying the book -- and get a chance to try out different titles to see what they enjoy. For example, readers can rent the first volume of Dark Horse's 28-volume Lone Wolf and Cub series to get a taste of the series. If the customer discovers that he likes the title, he can purchase the series' other volumes.

As a comics retailer, Shahin hasn't forgotten the skills he learned as a software programmer, and has applied those skills to his business. He's a big fan of Diamond Online, which he believes offers retailers a tremendous amount of retailing aids -- such as Reorders Online, current in-stock lists, and an easy Quick Item Look-Up function. He's also developed his own sales tools based on free Linux software. Retailers who visit his website (www.hijinxcomics.com) can download -- free of charge -- sales tools that Shahin has created, including shelf-talkers, cycle counts, customer tracking, and a wealth of tools for subscription services. He would very much like to see his software used by more retailers. Not only is it free, but to Shahin, it's another expression of free speech that retailers can adapt to their own needs.

In 2003, Shahin took on a partner to open a second store in downtown San Jose -- near the campus of San Jose State University. Due to the success of his first store, Shahin has now brought his mix of comics and trades to the center of California's third largest city, whose downtown had been without a specialty store for many years.

A young, bright, and aggressive entrepreneur, Shahin's hard work is a sure sign that the future of comics retailing is indeed promising -- and like his novel comics store --in good hands.

-- Diamond Field Representative Dave Hawksworth

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24 hour comics day is coming

	Keep watching this space for more info about 24 hour comics day. For now, all you'll get out of me is that it takes place on April 24th at Hijinx Downtown.
Ok, if you really want to know more about the event try clicking on the logo over there, or this link right here.

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