By Josh Rubin, Montreal Gazette — On the ninth floor of a nondescript office building at the corner of Ste-Catherine and Peel Sts., more than 50,000 vintage comic books lie hidden from view from the pedestrians below, its whereabouts known only by the most die-hard of fans. Like the superheroes whose adventures sit stocked on its shelves or piled high in boxes, the origin story of Carsley’s Comics is unusual.
It traces back to 1985 when owner Mike Joffre, 42, first began buying and selling comics after he was given a copy of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, which lists practically every comic book ever produced. Fascinated by the world of comics, especially vintage ones, Joffre began amassing as many back issues as he could.
“Some of my friends’ older brothers didn’t want their comic collections anymore. So I pooled some money with a friend of mine and we started buying comics from people and selling them at school,” Joffre said.
Within a matter of months, Joffre, who was only 14 years old at the time, became a vendor at various comic conventions where he was often the youngest dealer. Apart from comics he also developed an interest in other collectibles like baseball cards and coins.
Although he earned some money, Joffre never seriously considered making a living as a comic dealer. Determined to finish university and become a professional, he eventually wound up as a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch, but maintained his passion for all things collectible.
In 1998, he was introduced to Bill Whetstone, owner of Carsley Whetstone & Co., one of the oldest coin dealers in Canada. He became a silent partner three years later, and in 2005, purchased the firm outright.
Joffre didn’t hesitate to make his own imprint on the business from Day 1.
“When I took over, we were dealing in coins, jewelry, porcelain, art, Lalique — basically a whole hodgepodge of things. I eliminated dealing in large antiques like paintings, vases and furniture. Now coins have become an even greater specialty of ours and then, of course, there’s the comics,” he said.
Aware that a space across the hall from their office was vacant, Joffre approached the landlords about taking it over and began calling some old contacts in the comic industry to build up inventory. He recruited his friend Paul Beck, 54, to help run the store and quickly stockpiled comics. According to Joffre, Carsley’s now houses one of the largest collections of vintage comic books in the country.
After a hectic few months, Carsley’s Comics opened its doors in fall 2005. Although it was initially conceived as a side project to the coin business, the comic store has steadily seen its revenues increase at a 20 per cent compounded rate annually, to the point where it is now an integral part of the company.
In order to juggle the responsibilities between the different facets of the business, Joffre relies on his staff of four full-time and three part-time employees. They have to constantly figure out which new releases to buy, a task that’s not as easy as it sounds.
The industry is structured in such a way that retailers have to order comics two months in advance. The result is a bit of a guessing game because of the difficulty of gauging what’s going to be popular in the future, and there’s a risk of being either over or under stocked.
“We’re not a big team of people, but we’re very delegated. … For example, Paul does all the ordering — he knows what the customers like and he runs the retail store. We have another employee, Alex, who manages our online presence. My role is to seek out vintage comic collections,” Joffre explained.
The emergence of the Internet has had a profound effect on comics and the collectibles industry as a whole. Collecting is largely about the thrill of the hunt. Before the Internet, someone might have spent years seeking out an ultra-rare specimen. Now all it takes is a quick visit to Google. As a result, most comic stores have migrated online. This has been a blessing in disguise for the few remaining brick and mortar stores, which have morphed into destinations where serious comic collectors come not just to shop, but to socialize.
“When you go to some stores, a lot of the time, they just want to sell, but here, you can have a conversation with people who are true fans. The staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. You don’t feel like a number when you come here,” said Guy Damphousse, an architectural technician who visits the shop regularly.
“If you really like comics, there’s something you can’t replace about holding an old comic book in your hands,” Joffre said.
A new chapter for Carsley Whetstone & Co. and Carsley’s Comics is on the horizon. Joffre is relocating both operations into a decidedly larger and more modern space a little closer to earth: two floors down.
Make sure to pay them a visit and let them know we sent you. Carsley’s Comics is currently located downtown at:
1117 St-Catherine, Suite 715
Montreal, Quebec
Phone: 514-289-9761
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