My shop is surprisingly well stocked in non-big 2 floppies. For instance, they seem to regularly sell out of Zenescope titles. One of the owners is a solid comics guy but his brother/co-owner is more of a paperback novel guy who is new to comics. So he's quite open. He reads solicits and gets what he thinks will sell. If that means fringe indie horror, then he just orders a few copies. But they still get Marvel/DC stuff. They say that sales aren't where they'd like them to be on those but they are diversified into sports cards and TTRPG books too.
Great input. Your observation exactly underscores the point that every shop is different, so what works for one won't necessarily work for another. The more the Big 2 niche down into very specific tastes instead of broader themes, the harder it will be for shops to sell their comics.
My shop is surprisingly well stocked in non-big 2 floppies. For instance, they seem to regularly sell out of Zenescope titles. One of the owners is a solid comics guy but his brother/co-owner is more of a paperback novel guy who is new to comics. So he's quite open. He reads solicits and gets what he thinks will sell. If that means fringe indie horror, then he just orders a few copies. But they still get Marvel/DC stuff. They say that sales aren't where they'd like them to be on those but they are diversified into sports cards and TTRPG books too.
Great input. Your observation exactly underscores the point that every shop is different, so what works for one won't necessarily work for another. The more the Big 2 niche down into very specific tastes instead of broader themes, the harder it will be for shops to sell their comics.