For many stores, it's a hit-or-miss business

The Seattle Times writes what might be one of the more honest takes on running a comics store these days:

Like any stock-market bet or Vegas gamble, the owners of a couple thousand comic-book stores in the United States try to pick the right mix of Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and lesser-known book titles that might sell.

And if they don't?

"That's money sitting in a box," said Chris Brady, 38, who co-owns 4 Color Fantasies in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

And why? Because a lot of the products have been non-returnable for years, maybe the biggest mistake the store runners have made since they began in the late 1970s. The article is still fairly superficial though.