Newbury Comics in the Harvard Garage (90022)

Newbury Comics is an American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

and music

retailer Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

based in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

. Newbury Comics began as a comic book vendor on

Newbury Street Newbury Street is located in the Back Bay area of Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. It runs roughly east–west, from the Boston Public Garden to Brookline Avenue. The road crosses many major arteries along its path, with an entranc ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. The company was founded in 1978 by

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

students John Brusger and Mike Dreese. Dreese also published '' Boston Rock'', a music tabloid which was active from 1980 to 1987 that focused on

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

, new wave and

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

bands. There are now 28 stores in five

states: four in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, two in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, one in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, one in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, and twenty in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. On August 20, 2016, Newbury Comics opened its 29th store (its first outside of New England) at

Roosevelt Field Mall Roosevelt Field is a shopping mall in East Garden City, New York and Uniondale, New York. It was designed by I. M. Pei and is the largest shopping mall on Long Island, in the state of New York, and the eighth largest shopping mall in the United ...

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. It is the Greater Garden City area's anchor community. The population was 23,272 at the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within ...

and in August 2017, Newbury Comics opened a shop in The Westchester, a mall located in White Plains, NY (in Westchester County) that like Roosevelt Field is owned by the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group. Since the late 1980s Newbury Comics has been a vendor of new and used

CDs The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Octo ...

, LPs,

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

, and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

s, and other pop culture–related goods, including comics, posters, T-shirts, trading cards, action figures, buttons, sports merchandise, jewelry, cosmetics, novelties and more. Many locations also sell high end and/or punk-style clothing. Newbury Comics has 601 total employees across all of its locations and generates $148,728 in sales (USD) per location. The chain also had a sister store called Hootenanny which mostly sold punk-style clothing, located one floor below the Newbury Comics in

Harvard Square Harvard Square is a triangular plaza at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street near the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The term "Harvard Square" is also used to delineate the busin ...

. Hootenanny closed in May 2012, while the flagship Newbury Comics banner is altering its product mix to include more fashion. Newbury Comics stores are also gradually shifting from strip centers to mall locations.

Notable employees

* Andy Bonner of the Boston band

Piebald A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of unpigmented spots (white) on a pigmented background of hair, feathers or scales. Thus a piebald black and white dog is a black dog with white spots. The animal's skin under the white backgro ...

worked for years at both the

and Alewife locations. The band's "King of the Road" includes the lyrics, "Andy went back to school. He got sick of Newbury Comics." * Valerie Forgione of Mistle Thrush is the company's Executive Vice PresidentDreese seriously enjoys comics biz, Michael Saunders and Jim Sullivan, ''The Boston Globe'', D4, December 5, 2000. * Joe Guese, guitarist of

The Click Five The Click Five (often abbreviated as TC5) was an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. The original members, most of them students at Berklee College of Music, started on January 1, 2004, and played in various local venues. They then ...

, worked at the flagship Newbury Comics briefly before joining the band. * Rob Hamilton and Chris Pearson of Green Magnet School worked at the Framingham store and the warehouse, respectively, when the band was signed to

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are often ...

records. *

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

worked at the original Newbury Street location before gaining prominence with her band

'Til Tuesday Til Tuesday (often stylized as til tuesday) was an American new wave band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The band, consisting of Aimee Mann (lead vocals, bass), Robert Holmes (guitar), Joey Pesce (keyboards), and Michael Haus ...

. * David Shibler worked at the original Newbury Street location while becoming the bass player in the local band the Turbines. * Jon Syverson, Alexis S.F. Marshall, and Samuel Moorehouse Walker of

Daughters A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups ...

have worked at the Providence and North Attleboro locations. * Chris Pupecki (

Doomriders Doomriders is an American stoner/ sludge metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The band has released three albums on Deathwish, Inc. The band's vocalist/guitarist Nate Newton also plays bass in Converge and guitar in Old Man Gloom. Jebb Riley ...

, Black Tail & ex–

Cast Iron Hike Cast Iron Hike was an American punk rock band from Clinton, Massachusetts, United States. History Cast Iron Hike was formed after the breakup of Worcester hardcore band Backbone, and featured that group's drummer (Dave Green) and guitarist (Chr ...

) worked at the

Natick Natick ( ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census. west of Boston, Natick is part of the Greater Boston area. ...

store. * Johnny Earle, founder of clothing line Johnny Cupcakes, worked at Newbury Comics, where he would secretly sell shirts out of his car on bathroom breaks. * Jon Strader, guitarist of the band

No Trigger No Trigger is an American melodic hardcore band from Massachusetts, United States. History The band formed in 2001, with a sound which takes cues from like-minded outfits such as Strike Anywhere and None More Black. The band self-released two d ...

, worked at the Shrewsbury location. * Paul DeGeorge, of

Harry and the Potters Harry and the Potters are an American rock band known for spawning the genre of wizard rock. Founded in Norwood, Massachusetts, in 2002, the group is primarily composed of brothers Joe and Paul DeGeorge, who both perform under the persona of ...

, worked at various stores, including both

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

locations. * Ian St. Germain, bass player and drummer of Burnt Fur and Tracy Husky, worked at the Harvard Square location. * Mark McKay, drummer of

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

band

Slapshot A slapshot (also spelled as slap shot) in ice hockey is a powerful shot. Its advantage is as a high-speed shot that can be taken from long distance; the disadvantage is the time to set it up as well as its low accuracy. It has four stages whi ...

was a manager of several Newbury Comics stores and worked in the IT department as well as working for Interscope Records. * Ryan McKenney and Brian Izzi of the band

Trap Them Trap Them was an American hardcore punk band formed in Salem, New Hampshire in 2001. They released five studio albums and five EPs, including a split EP with Extreme Noise Terror. History Trap Them began in 2001 as a side-project for Ryan McKe ...

, worked at the Salem, NH store. * Aaron Dalbec of

Bane Bane may refer to: Fictional characters * Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman * Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series * Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy * Bane the Druid, a Gu ...

Only Crime Only Crime is an American melodic hardcore group formed by Good Riddance singer Russ Rankin and Bane guitarist Aaron Dalbec in 2003. The band plays melodic but hard-hitting punk rock that borrows heavily from early-1980s hardcore bands such as ...

and ex-

Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) * Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines *CONVERGE CFD s ...

worked at the Shrewsbury store during the mid-to-late 90s.

Company logo in popular culture

In the movie ''

Hatchet A hatchet (from the Old French , a diminutive form of ''hache'', 'axe' of Germanic origin) is a single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side. Hatchets may also be use ...

'' (2006), star

Joel Moore Joel David Moore (born September 25, 1977) is an American character actor and director. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Moore studied acting in college before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. His first major role was as Owen ...

spends much of the film in a blood-spattered Newbury Comics T-shirt. In reaction to this Newbury Comics started selling special Hatchet T-shirts like the one in the movie. The "Tooth Face" Logo T-shirt is featured in the second issue of ''The Bulletproof Coffin'' comics from Image Comics. In the fifth and sixth season opening credits for ''

Sabrina, the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appeared ...

'', Sabrina, portrayed by

Melissa Joan Hart Melissa Joan Hart (born April 18, 1976) is an American actress, producer, and director. She had starring roles as the title characters in the sitcoms ''Clarissa Explains It All'' (1991–1994), ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' (1996–2003), and ''M ...

, is seen walking out of the store on Newbury Street.

Store locations

Connecticut: * Danbury - Danbury Fair * Manchester -

The Shoppes at Buckland Hills The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, formerly and commonly known as Buckland Hills Mall is a shopping mall located in Manchester, Connecticut and is currently owned by Spinoso Real Estate Group. The mall is currently anchored by the traditional chains Ma ...

Maine: * South Portland -

The Maine Mall The Maine Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in South Portland, Maine, United States. Owned and managed by Brookfield Properties, it is the largest shopping mall in the state of Maine, and the second-largest in northern New England, behind New Hamp ...

Massachusetts: * Boston -

Faneuil Hall Marketplace Faneuil Hall ( or ; previously ) is a marketplace and meeting hall located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others ...

* Boston -

* Braintree -

South Shore Plaza South Shore Plaza is a shopping mall in Braintree, Massachusetts, owned by Simon Property Group. It is near the Braintree Split interchange, off the I-93 / US 1 and Route 37 junction. The mall opened as an open-air plaza in 1961; it was enclosed ...

* Burlington - Burlington Mall * Cambridge -

CambridgeSide Galleria CambridgeSide (previously CambridgeSide Galleria) is an enclosed shopping mall in Cambridge, Massachusetts that opened in 1990. , the mall is anchored by TJ Maxx. Previous anchors include department stores Filene's, Lechmere, Macy's, Macy's Home ...

* Cambridge -

* Hyannis -

Cape Cod Mall Cape Cod Mall is a shopping mall in the Hyannis village of Barnstable, Massachusetts. The mall opened in 1970 and was renovated and expanded in the late 1990s, bringing the property to of gross leasable area. It is currently managed and partia ...

* Kingston -

Kingston Collection Kingston Collection is a one-story enclosed upscale shopping center and mall located in the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore region of Massachusetts in the United States. As of January 2022, The mall features 37 stores and restaurants. A ...

* Marlborough -

Solomon Pond Mall The Solomon Pond Mall is a two-level enclosed shopping mall located off Interstate 290, near its terminus at Interstate 495, in Marlborough and Berlin, Massachusetts. The mall features JCPenney and Macy's (originally Filene's) as anchors with ...

* Natick -

Natick Mall The Natick Mall (previously named the Natick Collection) is a shopping mall in Natick, Massachusetts. The original facility was the first enclosed shopping mall in Greater Boston upon opening in 1966; it was demolished and replaced by a larger ...

* North Attleboro - Emerald Square Mall * North Dartmouth -

Dartmouth Mall The Dartmouth Mall is a one-level shopping mall located off US 6 and Faunce Corner Road in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, in the United States. Currently anchoring the mall are Aldi, Burlington, JCPenney, and Macy's. The mall also features a foo ...

* Northampton * Norwood * Peabody -

Northshore Mall The Northshore Mall is a shopping mall in Peabody, Massachusetts. As of 2022, the mall currently features Macy's in two locations, J. C. Penney, and Nordstrom. The mall is near the Route 128 and Route 114 junction, and less than a mile fro ...

* Saugus -

Square One Mall Square One Mall is a shopping mall located along US Route 1 (Broadway) between Main Street and Essex Street in Saugus, Massachusetts. Anchor stores are Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Best Buy and TJ Maxx. Additional stores in the mall include Ol ...

New Hampshire: * Manchester * Nashua -

Pheasant Lane Mall Pheasant Lane Mall, occupying , is one of the largest shopping malls in the state of New Hampshire and the focal point of the commercial area in south Nashua. As of , the mall has about 139 stores and kiosks, including four anchor stores: Dick ...

* Salem -

The Mall at Rockingham Park The Mall at Rockingham Park is the largest shopping mall in the state of New Hampshire, with of floor space. The mall is located in the town of Salem, about north of Boston. The mall is adjacent to Interstate 93 and the former Rockingham Park r ...

* West Lebanon New York: * Garden City -

* Lake Grove - Smith Haven Mall * West Nyack -

Palisades Center Palisades Center is a shopping mall in West Nyack, New York, which as of December 2022, is the twelfth-largest by gross leasable space. It was built in the industrial style. It has also been of the nation's most lucrative malls, producing $40 mil ...

* White Plains - The Westchester Mall * Staten Island - The Staten Island Mall Rhode Island: * Providence -

Providence Place Mall Providence Place is an American shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island. With of Floor area (building), gross leasable area, it has been the largest shopping mall in Rhode Island since it opened in 1999. As of 2022, the mall is anchored by Ma ...

* Warwick -

Warwick Mall Warwick Mall is an enclosed American shopping mall in Warwick, Rhode Island, on the north side of Interstate 295 near the junction with Interstate 95. Composed of more than of retail space, it features more than 80 stores and a food court. ...

Source:

References

External links

* {{Official website, www.newbury.com
2008 Interview with Mike Dreese on Well-Rounded Radio
Companies based in Boston Music retailers of the United States Privately held companies based in Massachusetts Retail companies established in 1978