It started with a dissatisfied worker and a love of comic books. And now it ends with a 24-year-old collection that fills a back storeroom and one less comic book store for University students to enjoy.

Comic book lovers will soon be losing a convenient location to enjoy one of their favorite past times when Capitol Comics, located on Hillsborough Street, closes down this year to merge with its Holly Ridge Road location near Crabtree Valley Mall.

The owner, Ken Pleasant, said the reasons were economical. He believes the city will end up tearing down the building where the store is currently located to make way for newer buildings.

He also explained that merging with the store’s other location helps to cut down on employee and building costs.

“It makes economic sense,” Pleasant said.

Pleasant opened Capitol Comics in its Hillsborough Street location 24 years ago.

“I was in banking and I was not enjoying my job, and I collected comic books,” Pleasant said. Pleasant said he has been a fan of comic books for 45 years, having read them since he was 10 years old.

He noticed there was a need for another comic book store in the Raleigh area because, at the time, there was only one store that specialized in comic books in the area.

He did some research and discovered that the demand for comic book stores was highest around major universities. Having been a University graduate in business management himself, he started looking for a Hillsborough Street location to open his comic book store so it would be close to the University, and particularly the residence halls, allowing students to easily walk to the location.

And, Pleasant added, the location he chose was the only one with decent parking.

Students have been purchasing comic books—both single issue and trade paperbacks—as well as collectable statues and action figures from the store since then.

When asked if the digital age of iPods and Kindles would have an effect on comic book sales, Pleasant said he was sure it would have an effect—in the future. But so far, comic book sales have not been as bad as they could be.

“It’s hard to gauge how it’s going to affect it,” Pleasant said.

Right now, Pleasant has an entire back room filled with boxes and boxes of comic books. He said during December he plans to organize as much as possible to make the move to Holly Ridge Road a bit easier.

Students are not only going to miss the short distance to and from the store, but the atmosphere of the store itself.

Courtney Holland, a sophomore in creative writing, says she will miss having a comic book store so close to campus.

“As a person who enjoys comic books and just the environment of the shops, I am sad that they are moving because it is one less location that’s close to campus that people can enjoy and visit,” Holland said.

Pleasant said he hopes to be able to open a Hillsborough Street location again in the future, if the economic situation gets better.

“Sometimes people need an escape in tough economic times,” Pleasant said.