From the Vortex - 1

The early days of Vortex Books & Comics

Hi all. Here’s an update on Vortex Books & Comics. It is still early days, given that we cannot take possession of the building until February 1st, but that doesn’t mean we’re just sitting around and waiting.

Much of the last two months have been spent buried in paperwork, and I won’t bore you with a blow-by-blow of that. What you might find more interesting is the huge shipments of vintage and used books, magazines, pulps, and comics we’ve compiled for opening day — everything from Weird Tales, The Twilight Zone, and the old Avon magazines to pristine Zebra paperbacks by Ruby Jean Jensen, William W. Johnstone, and Guy N. Smith to signed hardcovers by Richard Laymon, Anne Rice, and Clive Barker to complete back-issue runs of Marvel’s Godzilla and Micronauts.

We will, of course, be featuring new releases, as well, and have already arranged to direct order from many publishers, including Valancourt, Cemetery Dance, Crossroad, Cimarron Street, and more. We’re also in the process of setting up accounts with several of the main distributors, such as Ingram (see the aforementioned paperwork).

Many of our friends have been kind and gracious enough to send along signed copies of their books, as well, including Ronald Kelly, Thomas Tessier, Owen King, Kelly Braffet, Kristopher Triana, Daniel J. Volpe, Aron Beauregard, John Durgin, and so many more. Many of you have asked about sending signed copies of your books, as well. They can be sent to the address on our website. (Although we can’t move in until February 1st, we can receive shipments there).

It is our hope to open in early March, however that is dependent upon several factors, including the date of our dear friend and fellow author Weston Ochse’s funeral service in Arlington National Cemetery, whether or not we can get someone to cover the store while we are at Scares That Care’s AuthorCon III event, and whether or not we’ve got all of our shelves assembled and stocked, and the walls painted, and everything else ready to go by then.

Bottom line — while it is too early to give you an exact grand opening date, it will be sometime between the first week of March and the third week of April.

Many of you have asked about online sales. Like our spiritual mentor Dark Delicacies, these will be limited to signed copies from in-store events. So let’s say, for example, that we have Edward Lee or Hailey Piper or Paul Tremblay signing at the store. We will have them sign any unsold copies before they leave, and these will then be offered for sale via our website, which also has our upcoming events schedule, our hours and location, how to arrange a signing with us, and all that other important information. We are also on Bluesky, Instagram, and Facebook. Links to each of those can be found at the top of our website.

The store itself is divided into two sections. The first is the retail area. The second is an event space for readings, signings, book clubs, writing groups, poetry slams, and more. This latter area will also feature — with the gracious permission of their loved ones — memorials to author J.F. Gonzalez and podcaster Dave Thomas, complete with a portion of their ashes, so that their fans and friends can pay their respects. We hope that when you visit you’ll take a moment to visit with them, as well.

Finally, we are delighted to unveil our new logo, designed by Lois Shupp.

So, that’s where we’re at. Thanks to all of you for donating to the GoFundMe. the number one thing you can do to help us is continue to donate to that and share it with others.

Thanks again for our support.

— Brian and Mary