How it was then... and how it is now!
Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff first opened on October 3, 1988...
33 years
ago!
Our first customer was a kind gentleman named Tony who bought a few packs of
baseball cards. That opening day we did all of $63 in
sales (truly a soft opening!). We made up a lot of things as we went, trying to invent little systems
where there were none before, trying to make friends and win customers one at a
time, one day at a time... hoping we could survive long enough to "make
it."
And here we are... 12,052 days since October 3 1988!
We've tried our best to make Flying Colors
live up to our original mission to be "the one comic shop for the entire
family." Little did I know that so many of you have become like family to
us. That's a beautiful thing!
Heaping mounds of gratitude to my Libby who has been as integral to the success
of Flying Colors as anyone, even though she prefers me to be the public face of
Flying Colors. I was the comics geek, after all.
Our three fantastic daughters, Michelle, Jenny and Cindy, have all worked in the shop over the years and helped spread the word about Flying Colors to their ever-expanding circle of friends. Big big hugs and thanks to these wonderful women!
And then there's our FlyCo
Retailing Brigade (with thanks to cartoonist Jeff Bonivert for originally
naming the group... plus designing and co-creating our Flying Colors' superhero
mascot, Captain Four Color!
In order from 1988 to present, I wish to thank each and every one of our frankly fabulous FlyCo Retailing Brigadeers:
Anne, Mark, Teri, Tom, Steve, Scott, Scott, Sam, Doug, Gavin, Jason, Marleigha, Alan, Cara Mia, Quinn, Shaw, Matt, Ken, Colin, Chris M, Adrian, Jerry, Erin, Paul, Chris J, Maria, Jan, Robert, Mike A , Mike E, Adam, Melissa, Taylor, Brian H, Brian, Cindy, Adric, Jenny, Robert, Andrew, Ed, Marty, Jazmine, Leticia, Melissa, Susie, Aaron, Kenni, Casey, Anna, Eryn, Spencer, Dylan, Chad, Andrew, Aidan, Cyrus!
Finally, let's face the facts.
A business
without customers just doesn't last. So I want to genuinely thank you all,
past and present, who have trusted us with your business over all these
years. You are all FlyCo Faithful... and I am FlyCoJoe, your grateful Local
Comic Shop owner.
And I hope we'll be around for many more years of Slinging Comics to Concord,
to Contra Costa County and to the Cosmos!
Bless you all, each and every one!
Peace 'n' Comics!
Joe "FlyCoJoe" Field