No big celebrations for this anniversary of the opening of Flying Colors. Although when this day comes around, I do reflect on all that it takes to keep this business healthy, profitable and engaging for our wonderful FlyCo Faithful.
When I made the decision to get out of radio and leave KJOY, I had no idea if the move to comics retail would last a year or two, let alone 28. But with the help of so many people, here we are.
A few people who really deserve special attention for really being there for me, especially in those early, very tenuous days...
* My dad, the late great Joe Field, gave me a lot of his time and energy in helping us find the right spot to lease. We drove all over central Contra Costa, looking at commercial spaces, occasionally stopping for hot dogs.
* My father in law, Wayne H. "Bud" Fisher. Though the signs of early on-set Alzheimers were just beginning to emerge in him, he was still obviously such a business genius. He helped me make some very valuable connections to get this business off on the right foot.
* My three daughters, Michelle, Jenny and Cynthia ("Cindy"). Back then, comic shops were often clubhouse businesses for guys who didn't care much about moving forward and certainly didn't care about having comics reach much wider audiences (like the female 50%+ of the population!). My daughters were my marketing research team. Even though they were all only between 4-8 years old, their insights into the other shops we visited were invaluable. We always wanted Flying Colors to be the "one comic shop for the whole family" and their enthusiasm helped us get there. All three worked at Flying Colors over the years in some capacity---and all still make appearances at special events here, as their busy schedules allow.
* Most importantly, I want to thank my sensational wife Libby. Wow! She was the leader of our marketing research team. She trusted me with this crazy idea. In those first five years, when I commuted six days a week from Stockton to Concord, she in essence became a single parent (I have lots of regrets about that, believe me). She held us all together, working hard, praying harder, and always being a bright light, a truly positive partner who continues to make Flying Colors better with her organization, her Bud Fisher-like CEO-ness...and her sweet presence in the lives of so many FlyCo peeps, especially our staff and customers.
Bottom line, I really had no idea what I was doing in those early days. If not for my great FlyCo Retailing Brigade (our 50+ staff members over the years, starting with Anne, Mark, Teri, Tom, Steve, Sam, Gavin... all the way through to our current staff Michael, Martin, Casey, Anna and Eryn), Flying Colors wouldn't be what it is today.
Years ago, I asked a retailing mentor of mine, the late John Barrett, how to find good staff for my shop. He said in a very Zen-like way "Good people find good people. So be a good person and other good people will find their way to you." Thank you all for being the good people you are!!
I know there are many others to thank for their contributions to Flying Colors, but I'm seriously doubting anyone actually read this far. So whether you are family, staff, friends and/or customers or suppliers, please accept my humble thanks for being part of the 28 years success story of Flying Colors!
Love, Peace & Cool Comics!
--- Joe
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