Newbury Comics: Boston's Favorite Record Store & So Much More
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Newbury Comics has been a Boston institution since the flagship store opened in 1978 on -you guessed it - Newbury Street. It was started by two MIT students with just $2,000, a healthy comic book collection, and a dream.
Despite the grim fate of many chain record and book stores, Newbury has managed to grow and thrive over the past 40 years.
According to CEO and co-founder, Mike Dreese, it is the brand's devotion to all things pop-culture that has allowed it to succeed. Whatever is new, hot, weird and quirky, you are sure to find at Newbury.
“We keep morphing,” Dreese said in a 2012 interview with Publishers Weekly. “It’s always morph or die.”
Despite its name, Newbury Comics very quickly shifted its focus from comics to records. By 1980, 90% of their sales were music.
As times and trends changed, Newbury changed with them, shifting from records and cassette tapes to CDs and DVDs - and recently, back to a healthy collection of vinyl again! They are currently featuring an exclusive line of color vinyl records.
There are close to 30 store locations across New England - and three in New York. Each is packed with all manner of music, movie, sports, and television memorabilia.
As of 2012, t-shirts, shoes and jewelry accounted for nearly a quarter of all sales, but customers can also find funky socks, hilarious magnets, posters, punk rock garb, and a massive array of collectibles including Funko Pops and Pusheen the Cat merch.
If you haven't visited Newbury Comics recently, swing by one of the many New England locations for some new music and an authentic Newbury smiley face t-shirt!