Help Save Fat Jack’s!

I remember the first time I saw Fat Jack’s.

I was a freshman at Temple University and was going to a midnight screening at the long gone Roxy Cinema when I noticed the store, closed, up the street. I distinctly remember saying to myself as I peered past the metal gate, That might be the coolest comic store I’ve ever seen.

Two years later I was working there, telling tales of my cousin Gil’s childhood on Krypton while standing behind the counter ringing up regular customers.

And it was, the coolest comic store that I had ever seen.  So much of my experience there was not only a priceless education in the medium, but also working for a store that even then was a piece of comic book history.

From dealing with a portion of the customers who were essentially a Dick Tracy rogues gallery (No-Tape, Walter Brooks, Cisco, et. al), to getting the opportunity to look through some original EC pages in the office to a notable alumni and customer base, Fat Jack’s was an experience.

But essentially, it was a comic book store and at the time, there were several in Center City Philadelphia.  What made it difference was the people.

Owner Mike Ferrero would tell me crazy experiences and stories from his years in business knowing how much I’d be charmed by hearing about such wackiness (“Did I tell you about the time Russ Cochran went to the hospital with his sick baby and the nurses were shocked that it was a monkey?”).  Fat Jack’s was more than a store, it was a community.

And now it needs help.

As the pandemic destroyed a number of small businesses, Fat Jack’s is still holding on by a thread.  But they need the support of professionals, fans, and customers alike to keep it afloat.

In business for over 46 1/2 years, Fat Jack’s deserves to make it to 50.  Think about it, how many stores do you know that are still in business for over 50 years and how many of those businesses are a niche business?

So, to keep the doors open of the coolest comic store I’ve ever seen, support this GoFundMe, and save a piece of history.