Chapel Hill Comics will say goodbye to Franklin in March

For Ryan Kulikowski, it all began when he picked up a copy of a Kingdom Come comic book.

“The art was just amazing and I thought the story was so cool and so different from what I’d read as a kid that I was just blown away,” Kulikowski said.

As his love for comics grew, it became Kulikowski’s dream to own a comic book store of his own. In 2014 he got his chance when he took over Chapel Hill Comics, located on West Franklin Street.

But his time as a business owner is coming to an end — Chapel Hill Comics is expected to close March 31.

Kulikowski said he is unaware of any plans for the space, although several people have expressed interest.

“A lot of people have been very sad, but we’ve also gotten a lot of support, thanking us for being there,” Kulikowski said. “We’re very thankful for the customers that we have — some of them have been with the store longer than we have.”

India Lassiter, a long-term employee at Chapel Hill Comics, said she’s loved her job at the store and is sad to see it closing.

“Apparently I’d been missing the writing on the wall because everyone was like, ‘Oh yeah, I kind of already knew,’ because things have been going bad this year,” she said. “But I just thought we were going to have a bad year and keep going.”

Before he owned Chapel Hill Comics, Kulikowski had no business experience. In retrospect, there are things he’d do differently, he said, but there were many factors that led to the store closing, such as construction on Franklin Street and a lack of parking.

“It stings my pride a little bit to know that people are disappointed,” Kulikowski said. “I certainly wish I could stay open longer, but these superheroes and science fiction are all part of a fictitious world. When you’re having to make business decisions that affect your family, you have to ground yourself in reality.”

All the inventory must be liquidated prior to the store’s closing. Kulikowski said sales are already going on and discounts will get higher over the next several weeks.

Lassiter said the comic industry is a unique market, as independent comic book stores focus on selling only one genre — though it’s a diverse one.

“It’s such a wonderful, historic whole item,” Lassiter said. “You know that some kid probably looked at it and was inspired by it. It’s influenced so much, from movies to TV shows to pop culture references and people’s basic ideas about justice and goodness.”

Kulikowski agreed.

“My favorite days are when customers come in and engage us in conversation about comics and movies — arguments like what you might see in nerd movies,” he said. “That’s when it’s the most fun, when we’re talking and laughing and being a community.”

Alan Gill, the owner of Ultimate Comics in Durham, said his store has had a good relationship with Chapel Hill Comics and he’s sad to see it go.

“We’ve done some orders together, and he’s supported my conventions because I do the North Carolina Comicon,” Gill said. “He’s come out as a vendor, sold tickets for me and supported the show, and we try to promote them too.”

Throughout his stint as owner, Kulikowski said he has grown as a person.

“I’ve learned so much more about myself and what my strengths and some of my weaknesses are,” he said. “To be more resourceful, to ask for help with things — maybe I found that out a little too late.”

@molly_horak

city@dailytarheel