Everything from the superhero neon signs in the front windows to the thousands of comics meticulously sorted into boxes and shelves may seem overwhelming to a first time customer. However, from the moment you step foot on the blue tiled floor, you’re just another fellow enthusiast to the staff at Rock Bottom Comics.
Glenn Brewer established Rock Bottom Comics in Columbia in 1973 and has changed locations seven times. The current North Village storefront has been catering to comic buffs for the past decade.
“Glenn co-owned a bookstore, Rock Bottom Books and Comics, with his sister,” social media director Drew Stewart says. “The name carried over from the previous business in Arkansas.”
Stewart, a long-time comic enthusiast, began working with Rock Bottom in February 2011. He felt that a regularly updated Facebook page was necessary for the store.
Through the various changes of location and advances in social media, one highly pertinent aspect of Rock Bottom has remained constant: their customer service.
“The must crucial part of customer service is knowledge base,” Stewart says. “On Amazon, you can’t ask what people liked and disliked about each book.”
Manager James Cagle is no stranger to the store. After first setting foot in Rock Bottom in 1979, he became an employee for the first time in 1987. He then began his second stint eight years ago.
“The people who work here have to know the books,” Cagle says. “And I’ve read a disturbing amount of books in this store.”
Cagle’s expertise with comics allows him to act as a guide for both new and returning customers.
“I love the people, and I love the product,” Cagle says. “I love both the interaction and just pulling a book off the wall. It’s like revisiting an old friend.”
Rock Bottom provides an open, yet intelligent space where enthusiasts can meet and discuss.
“It’s a louder place than most bookstores,” says a veteran Rock Bottom customer, who prefers not to be identified. “It’s the equivalent of an old barber shop or general store. People can come in and just talk or hang out. You come together as a community, bound together by the love of comics.”
The customers who shop Rock Bottom are as diverse as the decades worth of comics neatly tucked about the store.
“There’s a unique, eclectic clientele,” Brewer says. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a period where we haven’t had at least one doctor and one lawyer.”
Despite their extensive array of backgrounds, the Rock Bottom staff views all customers in equal light.
“You leave your title at the door,” Cagle says. “There’s no doctor and no dropout.”
Rock Bottom Comics’ success goes to show that as the decades progress, comics still have managed to maintain their relevance in popular culture. And although the people and places are bound to change, Brewer’s shop will continue to be a rock for Columbia’s comic community.