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Brick and Mortar Store listings?




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Sam-I-Am



Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 121
Location: Midwest US
PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 12:13 pm Reply with quote
I sometimes travel for work, and I usually try to seek out brick and mortar stores while I'm away. Buying online is fine, but there's something about digging through a long shelf of dvds, seeing things I wouldn't have clicked a link for, or being able to hold an item in my hand before spending money on it, plus it's an added perk to be surrounded by figurines, etc., while I dig.

Googling and looking through yellow pages in phone books has yielded stores worth going back to, such as Source Comics in St. Paul MN, Lost World of Wonders in Milwaukee WI, Tate's Comics in Miami FL, and Oxford Comics in Atlanta GA. I've also ended up on wild goose chases that lead me to stores that are mere holes in the wall, selling vhs copies of fansubs. I've also come up dry - on a recent trip to Chicago IL, the best store I could find was a Fry's (which was still a good selection, but didn't have anything anime other than the dvds), and I haven't found any good leads yet for a trip to London UK next week.

Is there a listing anywhere on the web for brick and mortar stores? With or without reviews? I've seen some listings for comics stores, which sometimes yields anime leads, but I haven't found a listing for anime only.
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britannicamoore



Joined: 05 Dec 2005
Posts: 2618
Location: Out.
PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 1:43 pm Reply with quote
Where are you traveling?

A good anime store in Michigan is Wizzywig. It's located in downtown Ann Arbor. I don't have an address but their site should have one. Very Happy
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Sam-I-Am



Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 121
Location: Midwest US
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 10:44 pm Reply with quote
Travel is kind of random for me, both in terms of where I go, and how much notice I get.

I was hoping that either someone would post a link to a list of stores (if a page exists), or perhaps people would start listing their favorite local stores.
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Terrestrial_Cel



Joined: 10 Aug 2007
Posts: 99
Location: SF Bay Area
PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2007 2:19 am Reply with quote
The San Francisco Bay Area has a plethora of anime and comic stores. We also have a lot of mini-anime cons going on all throughout the year where most of the retailers around come to show their wares. A good starting point would be San Francisco's Japan Town Nihonmachi, Rasputin Music, Comic Relief and Anime V in Berkeley, Collector's Universe and Anime north of Berkeley, and Nikaku and Anime Palace in the South Bay.

Sorry I don't have links for everything but they're all easily Googleable Smile. I'd say the best stores out of the bunch are Japan Town and Collector's Universe and Anime. Plus, Japan Town has plenty of other awesome stuff to do other than anime shopping.
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Sam-I-Am



Joined: 08 Nov 2005
Posts: 121
Location: Midwest US
PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 9:51 pm Reply with quote
Recently did a vacation in London UK, and was actively looking for anime not available in the States (mostly Gedo Senki, which is licensed in the UK, but not on shelves yet, apparently). The big chains like Virgin and HMV carry good selections, at least in the flagship stores, but the best store I found was Forbidden Planet in the Covent Garden area. The store mostly features sci-fi and cult movies, so Star Trek and Star Wars are prominent on the main floor, as is Dr Who. The dvds and graphic novels are in the large basement, and the anime selection is pretty through, plus there's a good selection of anime related stuff. Worth a trip for those who find themselves in London!
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beelzebozo



Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Posts: 308
Location: Aurora, Colorado
PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:03 pm Reply with quote
Unfortunately, there is no Anime section in the phone book. We are listed in the Comic Book section, though some off-brand Yellow Pages stick us in Animation Services. There's also the turn-over rate. Denver had 2 anime stores (and one pirated DVD seller) 2 years ago. Now there's only one.

You can also check websites of anime conventions in that area. Some will have links to local anime stores.
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Keonyn
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Joined: 25 May 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Coon Rapids, MN
PostPosted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 8:01 pm Reply with quote
Here in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area your only real option is Best Buy or FYE, and FYE is so overpriced it's not even worth finding one. There's a large comic book store in the northeast section of the metro area called The Source. They have a large selection of anime and manga but their prices are typically similar to FYE and not worth shelling out the cash for. They have a lot of anime and comic stuff like statues and collectibles and all that though; so that makes it a bit more worthwhile.
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