Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse is Philadelphia's first Black Female-owned comic book store. In fact, the comics and coffee shop is the first Black Female-owned comic book store on the East Coast, reports Fabulize Magazine Jan. 2.
Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse / Facebook
Amalgam Comics owner Arielle R. Johnson said that the idea was brewing for 12 years. “My favorite coffee shop was directly across the street from my comic book store of choice. So, each Friday, I would buy my books at Fat Jack's, go across the street to Crimson Moon, and read everything I bought,” she said. "When the coffee shop closed its doors, I was devastated. That's when the idea came to me."
Amalgam Comics aims to promote diversity and community with events, workshops, movie, TV screenings, book signings and BYOG (Bring Your Own Game) nights. In a recent interview, she noted that when she was developing the idea for Amalgam, she really yearned for a place where people could not only buy their comics, but sit and read them, and even have conversations with others about their love for the medium. “I thought that a space like that would be conducive to some fun conversations, and who doesn't love that?”
Along with today’s mainstay titles in comics, the store will showcase comics from indie and marginalized communities not often represented in the world of comics.
We think that comics are for everyone and anyone that loves comics-women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. We will actively look to stock titles that showcase people in these groups, right along with Superman, Batman, Captain America, and Thor.
Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse opened its doors on Dec. 14. The shop has received much community support. From the spaciousness of the shop to the knowledge and friendliness of the staff, reviewers only have good things to say.
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