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That's Entertainment (comic shop)

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Coordinates: 42°15′56″N 71°49′08″W / 42.2655°N 71.8190°W / 42.2655; -71.8190
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This article is about a comic shop. For other uses, see That's Entertainment.
That's Entertainment
Company typePrivate
IndustryComics
Pop culture
Collectables
GenreRetail
Founded1980; 44 years ago (1980)
FounderPaul Howley
Headquarters
Worcester, Massachusetts
,
U.S.
Number of locations
2
Area served
New England
Key people
Paul Howley
ProductsComics
Video games
DVDs
Magic: the Gathering
Toys
Role-playing games
Vinyl Record Albums
Trading Cards
Autographs
OwnerPaul Howley
WebsiteThatsE.com

That's Entertainment is a comics and collectibles store in Worcester, Massachusetts.[1]

The store was first opened by Paul Howley in 1980[2] at a 2,000 sq ft (190 m2) location on Chandler Street in Worcester. On October 12, 1989, he added a second location with the purchase of a comic shop in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. At the start of business on July 1, 1992, That's Entertainment had been moved into its present location, a 20,000 sq ft (1,900 m2) former auto dealership[3] on Park Ave. in Worcester, and a 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) retail and events space was created.[4] The store stocks comic books, including alternative comics and new indy titles,[5] trade paperbacks, and related items. The store also carries other trading cards, including sports cards and Magic: The Gathering, along with anime, role-playing games, vintage video games and systems, and other toys and collectibles.[6][7]

In 1997, That's Entertainment was one of three stores that received a "Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award" from San Diego Comic-Con. The award, named for comic book creator Will Eisner, recognizes "an individual retailer who has done an outstanding job of supporting the comics art medium both in the community and within the industry at large".[8][9]

That's Entertainment's "reluctant acceptance of life after the on-line auction" was the subject of a six-page article in the May 2000 issue of the national magazine Inc. The article, by writer Anne Marie Borrego, was titled "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and (Almost) Love eBay." Borrego examined how That's Entertainment specifically, as a traditional brick and mortar collectibles retailer, was contending with the sudden growth of on-line competition in the collectibles market.[10]

Events

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Illustrator David Wenzel at the store in 2012

On July 18, 1998, Harvey Ball, the earliest known designer of the Smiley,[11] appeared at That's Entertainment to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the design's inception. Ball met fans and signed Smiley pins and art, as well as some copies of the Watchmen comic.[12]

Television pioneer Rex Trailer appeared in 2006 to mark the 50th anniversary of Boomtown by meeting his fans, singing songs, and signing autographs. A video report on that event is posted to the Worcester Telegram website.[13] In an encore of sorts, On September 11, 2011, Trailer appeared at the Fitchburg That's Entertainment to meet fans, sing songs and sign free autographs as he marked the 55th anniversary of Boomtown. Trailer sang a song he wrote to honor the victims of 9/11, I Appreciate You.[14]

That's Entertainment has participated in the annual, worldwide Free Comic Book Day every year since the event was launched. In 2009, the store presented a "Pro-Am Comic Jam", inviting "aspiring artists of all ages" to meet with a group of professional artists to compare perspectives on comic art. It was the fourth occurrence of this event since 1996.[15]

Lois Lane

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In March 2011, That's Entertainment petitioned the Worcester City Council to change the name of the private street running alongside the store from Marmon Place to Lois Lane.[16] "Certainly the character Lois Lane - dating back to 1938 in Superman comic books, and moving on through radio shows, television shows, and movies etc. - is a high-profile, beloved and timeless icon," the petition stated. The Worcester Telegram opined that the proposed name was a good match for That's Entertainment "which, among many things, is in the superhero comic book business."[17] On August 14, 2012, the petition, having previously passed the Planning Board and The City Council Public Works Committee, gained the final approval of the full council. In welcoming the change, The Worcester Telegram declared "a bit of whimsy in Worcester is a good thing."[18] On Friday December 28, 2012, the new sign was finally installed. A celebration at the store followed on Sunday December 30, 2012, featuring an unveiling, free sketches of Lois by Paul Ryan, and a Lois Lane lookalike contest.[19][20] In July 2018 the sign, along with the pole to which it was attached, went missing after it was taken down during sidewalk construction and left laid at the side of the building overnight.[21][22] About one month later, the Lois Lane sign was discovered abandoned behind a nearby shopping plaza, and was returned to the store. The street sign was reinstalled by the Worcester Department of Public Works within a week's time.[23][24][25]

References

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  1. ^ Manning, Doreen (2010-04-15). "That's E! celebrates that vinyl sound". Worcester Magazine. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-04-19.
  2. ^ "My Life with Comic Books: the History of a Comic Shop.". Archived from the original on 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  3. ^ Warshaw, Michael (2005-05-05). "Rational Absurdity and Diner Food". Worcester Magazine. Retrieved 2008-06-09. [dead link‍]
  4. ^ "My Life with Comic Books: the History of a Comic Shop.". Archived from the original on 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
  5. ^ Alternative Comics Indy Friendly Stores listing
  6. ^ Yelp
  7. ^ "Comic book maven celebrates 30 years of That's Entertainment, Published in Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Tuesday, April 12, 2011". Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  8. ^ Comic-con.org Awards Archived 2007-09-11 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=455 Sequential Tart
  10. ^ Borrego, Anne Marie (2000-05-15). "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and (Almost) Love eBay". Inc. Magazine. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  11. ^ Honan, William H. (2001-04-14). "H. R. Ball, 79, Ad Executive Credited With Smiley Face". The New York Times. p. C6.
  12. ^ (Unknown title)Worcester Telegram. March 6, 2009. Archived June 1, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Niles, David (2006-12-10). "Rex Trailer". telegram.com video. Worcester Telegram. Retrieved 2007-11-07.
  14. ^ Owen, Paula J. (September 1, 2011). "'Boomtown's' Rex Trailer ridin' into region". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  15. ^ "Archived". Worcester Magazine. Archived from the original on August 8, 2018.
  16. ^ "Marmon Place, meet Lois Lane. by Steve Foskett, Published in Worcester Telegram & Gazette, May, 2011". Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  17. ^ "Street may get city rewrite as Lois Lane by Nick Kotsopoulos, Published in Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Tuesday, July 24, 2012". Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  18. ^ "That's entertaining! Park Ave. store lands 'Lois Lane' by editorial staff, Published in Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Wednesday, September 3, 2012". Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  19. ^ "City street becomes 'Lois Lane' Will small byway take on super powers? by Craig S. Semon, Published in Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Wednesday, December 26, 2012". Retrieved 2012-01-01.
  20. ^ "Lois Lane takes the spotlight by Craig S. Semon, Published in Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Monday, December 31, 2012". Retrieved 2012-01-01.
  21. ^ "Lois Lane street sign goes missing after it's removed during Worcester sidewalk construction, by By Amelia Moran, Special to the Telegram & Gazette, Published in Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Posted Jul 24, 2018 at 7:10 PM Updated Jul 25, 2018 at 11:18 AM". Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  22. ^ "Worcesteria: Who would steal a whole sign pole? By Bill Shaner, posted July 26, 2018". Retrieved 2018-08-18.
  23. ^ "She's back! Lost and found Lois Lane street sign is reinstalled, by Allan Jung, Published in Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Posted Aug 15, 2018 at 8:08 PM Updated Aug 15, 2018 at 10:06 PM". Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  24. ^ "'Lois Lane' Returned To Worcester Comic Book Shop, by Ken MacLeod, Published on WBZ TV 4 News website, August 15, 2018 at 11:36 pm". 2018-08-15. Retrieved 2018-08-16.
  25. ^ "Rescued! That's Entertainment's iconic Lois Lane street sign has returned, By Bill Shaner, August 10, 2018". Retrieved 2018-08-18.
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42°15′56″N 71°49′08″W / 42.2655°N 71.8190°W / 42.2655; -71.8190

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