Discover your inner hero on Ruthven Street
We met with local business owner Todd at Kaboom Comics , Toowoomba ’ s best known comic book shop located on Ruthven St . Todd is known to locals as the resident comic book guy , but in this edition of BOLD , we chat to Todd about his love for seeing the next generation of fans come through his doors .
Todd , tell us how you started Kaboom Comics ?
I started Kaboom Comics back in 2004 in a small shop on Scholfield St . I had always been an avid fan of comics and pop-culture and , after some encouragement from my older brother , I decided to turn my hobby into a business and have never looked back .
What ’ s a typical day for you ?
A typical day starts around 6.30am when I arrive and start doing the kind of jobs you can ’ t do while the doors are open , then at 8.30am we open up shop and we get a stream of customers and like-minded fans come through the door . We operate 6 days a week so it ’ s always a long week for me , but as the old saying goes , do something you love and it never feels like work .
What do you like most about your business ?
The thing I like most about my business is the customers . Over the years I ’ ve met and become friends
with so many amazing people who share the same love for comics that I do . I ’ ve even had the pleasure of witnessing customers meet , marry and have children who they then bring into the store and get them into reading comics . Seeing different generations enjoy comics really warms my heart .
What are some of the accomplishments you ’ ve achieved since opening ?
Seeing my business expand over the years has been wonderful . We are now shipping orders around the country via our online store as well as serving the local community . In 2012 , my best mate Wade and I launched a podcast and TV show which we filmed here in the shop called Geek Speak that was aired around Australia and New Zealand on Community Television . We even won awards here in Australia as well as the International Award for best Duo at the Geekie Awards in Los Angeles in 2013 !
Artist impression of the streetscaping works to Ruthven Street
What do you like about working at this end of Ruthven Street ?
My business neighbours are great and we work together to bring more customers to this end of town by spreading the word about each other ’ s businesses . It ’ s nice to have such good relationships with people . There are also some upgrades happening at the moment by Toowoomba Regional Council that when finished , will make this part of the city look beautiful and more attractive to shoppers . We ’ re getting new footpaths , street art , landscaping and more parking bays which will really make this part of the city more attractive to customers . •
Todd is just one of over fifty businesses at the northern end of Ruthven Street who has a great story to tell . We encourage you all to visit this part of the city to check out the eclectic array of stories and support your local businesses .
14 www . tr . qld . gov . au / bold BOLD .