SANGER – Nearly six years ago to the date, Robert Garza brought the world of heroes, villains and fantasy to the comic book lovers of Sanger.
Garza is the sole owner of GG’s Comics, and on Oct. 19, he will be celebrating six years of business. In that time, he has celebrated countless New Comic Book Days, helped collectors find some of their grail vintage books and simply provided a space for people of all ages to nerd out.
“This hobby has given so much to so many people, and I’m just glad I’ve had a piece in it,” Garza said.
Garza’ journey began when he was around 9 years old, when the younger brother of his father’s mechanic began showing him books from his personal collection. After seeing a foil cover of a “Spider-Man: 2099” issue that sparked a lifelong intrigue, every visit to the mechanic became a chance to see some new books.
Years later, when Garza decided to open his own shop, it was that very collection that marked his first purchase for the store’s stock.
“I found him later on in life, and he ended up parting ways with his collection and it worked out for both of us,” Garza said. “I told him what I wanted to do, and to this day he enjoys just coming over here, buying books and talking about comics.”
Garza explained that initially, the shop mainly served as a way to fuel his passion for the hobby of comic collecting. Selling new, weekly books served as a way of bringing people into the shop, and the higher-priced vintage books he’d sell would help him buy the books he wanted for his own collection.
For a time, Garza said he was more than happy with the shop paying for itself and allowing him to continue to enjoy his hobby. But once COVID-19 relief funds fizzled out and the shop began to struggle, he realized that changes needed to be made.
“Your collection can’t be more important than your business, and I had to learn that the hard way,” Garza said.
To help get the shop back onto steady footing, he began to sell some of his most prized books from his collection. While it was hard to part ways with some of them at first, Garza has since learned to appreciate the fact that he will likely come across many of those books again as part of the business.
“My collection isn’t what it once was or what I wish it was, but then I look around the shop and see that this is my collection. This space — these memories — are my collection, and from that I’m going to take away a lot more than just having a book put away,” Garza said.
And then challenges struck Garza once more when his place of work closed down, leaving him to rely solely on the shop to provide for his family for the past few months. While this has — of course — presented him with some levels of anxiety, Garza has decided to take the opportunity to give his all to his store.
Garza shared that over the past few months, he has been doing extensive work to improve the store, bringing in more bins to house back issues and working to organize them in a way that keeps things easier for customers. He also recently launched a line of T-shirts in collaboration with a local artist, bringing reimagined designs to iconic comic book imagery.
Though he remains filled with excitement as to what the shop can continue to evolve into, Garza admitted that operating a comic book business in a smaller community like Sanger can often feel like a balancing act. He said the biggest example of this balance is week-to-week book orders.
“It’s a big gamble, because if you don’t sell out, then you’re losing money,” Garza said.
Being in Sanger, Garza’s potential customer base is naturally much smaller than shops in Fresno, and if weekly books don’t sell, they simply pile up on the shelves. However, Garza also noted that this can sometimes work to his advantage when customers come from other shops looking for books that have sold out.
As he continues to invest time and money into the shop, Garza believes that he can eventually find the sweet spot on his orders that will allow him to serve local customers while assuming smaller risks each week.
And in spite of all the challenges, Garza maintained that his passion remains in his hometown of Sanger, giving young comic enthusiasts access to the stories and characters they love without having to drive half an hour to another city.
“A big thing is seeing the kids that were like me, and they come in here to see the characters that I still love,” Garza said. “To see them get excited for it — those are the little things that are satisfying, and that money can’t buy.”
A single visit to GG’s Comics makes Garza’s love for the hobby immediately apparent, with walls lined with toys, books and apparel celebrating decades of superhero tales. And although the years have been filled with trials and tribulations, it’s safe to say that Garza will only continue to persevere, much like the heroes of Marvel and DC.
