What, Me Worry?

Steam Punk Harley (Christa Spencer) and Zombie (Tom Sherlock)

Wow. Just wow. This week started off in sheer panic. The money needed to pay bills was slim, and we hadn't the funds for the COD which was due in a day when the new-comics shipment arrived.

This week was one of (if not the) most humbling experiences of my life. All I can say for now, is thank you. I only wish there was a sufficient manner in which I could show my gratitude for all the love and support I felt this week. But my hell, I'm going to do my best to convey my sincere gratitude to the Death Ray Family in the coming days (so stay tuned...).

If you don't know what's up, just go back a few days on this blog, and you can catch up.

SHERMAN

In classic Empire Records fashion, we had a major sale/event to help save the day (but let's be honest, it was the more-than-generous donations that truly saved my wanna-be-Canadian bacon).

So after I was done with my day job on Friday, I started getting the shop ready. However, we had two events in the Podcast Theater that evening, so I wasn't really able to start getting things set up until 12:00 AM Saturday morning.

Shop in action.

After zero sleep and pushing through the molasses pace I maintained while setting up, I watched a documentary on Netflix as the Sun was rising this morning. I Need That Record! is about "the death (or possible survival) of the independent record store. This may sound counter to what you are thinking, but that was the catharsis which I truly needed. I was ready to accept the shops success or failure on my shoulders (oh, and yeah... I realize that a one-day sale didn't/won't  make or break the shop). After watching the flick, which is a little dated (hell... a 2008 doc is dated...), but totally worth viewing, I was ready to win or loose on my terms, and the cards dealt to me by the amazing people who came to my rescue.

The end of a long week put SHERMAN out for the count.

Long story short, the event was a HUGE success. From 9 year-old Ike waiting outside the shop when I opened, to Juan bringing his extended family and co-workers into the shop, there was an extreme outpouring of love and support for the shop (not to mention some CRAZY deals on comics and comic culture merchandise)!
Speaking with my old man on the phone this evening, he reminded me that you can't eat an elephant in a whole bite. He's right. But hopefully I've already consumed the south end of what was a north-bound pachyderm.