Meltdown Makes Mark In World of Collectibles

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Gaston Dominguez-Letelier, 34, says he hopes his comic book store, Meltdown Comics & Collectibles, becomes a destination for L.A. visitors. He specializes in alternative comics and vintage toys, but he’s added a consulting firm, a packaging lab, an art gallery and clothing for babies and young girls to his repertoire. He doesn’t mind, though, when his kids want to shop at Toys ‘R’ Us.


“When we opened, 3,000 comic book stores had closed. But we were selling a different line of comic books. We had the major lines but we also had local, art-based comic books, like folk art comics. They had more personal story lines. Instead of focusing on superheroes they would focus on everyday life or travel or historical epics. They set us apart. We also had a nice collection of vintage toys from Japan and the United States.


“The first month we stayed open because collectors came in and bought a substantial amount of vintage Star War toys. What did it for us was the fact we had vintage toys. High-end collectors would tell friends and we would get phone calls from different parts of the world. We were going to Japan on a regular basis for years just to buy vintage toys.


“We were also traveling to France to get hardcover books, Tintin toys, statues, figurines, sketch books and original art.


“A standard comic book costs $2.95. On average, we get 40 or 50 boxes of these comics per week, which we premiere on Wednesdays. Toys cost anywhere from $1.50 to $30,000 for these bronze Yoda statues. Original art can cost $90,000, like for an older Spiderman comic.


“We broke the million-dollar mark in 1998 and gross in the millions annually. We have seven employees that handle the Meltdown aspect. We also opened a satellite store right next to Griffith Park.


“In 2000, we moved into 10,000 square feet so now we have space to have a gallery and a curator seeking out talents. We have an idea lab doing consulting. They have come up with a product that sold in Wal-Mart. We also have a baby gift store with books and gifts and clothes that are not name brand, a clothing store for young girls, a packaging lab and a research library for Hollywood types who do animation. So, a customer can come in and buy a couple of toys from Japan, a T-shirt from England for their daughter, clothes for a new baby and some new comics.”

Kim Holmes

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