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As a former comic book shop employee, I may be a little biased when I say that having a neighborhood comic shop can brighten up any neighborhood, but it's a statement I stand by. For residents in San Francisco, their city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development is spreading this joy a bit further by helping a local shop called Mission Comics open a second location as part of a program to fill empty storefronts in the Excelsior District. 

As reported by Mission Local, Mission Comics has been given $50,000 by the city to "help pay for upfront costs like plumbing and electrical upgrades" in their new location in the Excelsior District. The Excelsior is known as an ethnically diverse, family-friendly neighborhood that has suffered from a plethora of empty storefronts in recent times. The Mission Local reported that the reason for the empty storefronts came down to high electrical and plumbing costs, due to the District's older commercial buildings that were often not in compliance with city codes. A new business cannot open in these buildings without first proving that they're in compliance with the city's building codes, which often requires "a complete overhaul of plumbing (old pipes), electrical, ventilation," and more. 

Mission Comics owner Leef Smith grew up in the Excelsior, and he believes that the shop's second location "may be the first comics store to ever open in the neighborhood." In Smith's youth, he bought comics at the neighborhood liquor store. So having a centralized location for comic book readers of all ages to find their next read and connect with other fans is a huge boon for the area. For Smith, the grant from the city couldn't have come at a better time because of the popularity of DC's Absolute Batman series, which sees the Dark Knight as a "working-class guy who fights white nationalists," Smith says. 

Mission Comics' second location will be at 5196 Mission St., and in the meantime, you can visit them in their flagship location at 2250 Mission St. (between 18th and 19th streets) in San Francisco. Best of luck to them, and congratulations!

Interested? Here's where to find your closest local comic store, courtesy of Sweet.