“Why on Earth would you have a comic shop in Ashburton?” Jenny Donaldson, owner of Ashburton’s Gnash Comics, says. Jenny’s shop has been a fixture of Ashburton’s community for 12 years, thriving even after the threat of closure during the pandemic.
Gnash Comics is not just a place that sells comics, graphic novels and manga, it’s also a space where the medium is celebrated as an art form. This can be seen from how local comic artists such as Jock and Lee Garbett have championed the shop, to the activities held at the shop, including a community comic swap space not unlike the book swap shelves at your nearest café.
Jenny describes the journey she’s been on as random, as she’s gone down various different paths such as working for housing associations, building and development, and theatre, before opening up shop.
How did the idea for the comic shop start?
How did the idea for the comic shop start?I obviously read comics as a kid and my son was really into 2000 AD, so comics have always been a part of my life. This seemed like the right thing to do because comics are a fantastic medium. I’m trying to promote comics and books for younger readers as a very positive thing for their own development and reading abilities, because there’s still this thing that comics aren’t proper reading or art or anything.
I’d never worked in retail, so opening a comic shop felt like jumping off a cliff. But I wanted to change what I was doing, and I was drawn towards this shop as it was coming empty, so things fell into place in a particular way.
If you thought about it too much, I think you wouldn’t do it. But being in that environment, being around people who are creative, makes a lot more sense to me than being stuck in an office.
What is the comics scene like in Devon?
What is the comics scene like in Devon?It’s very vibrant! British comics have a big, big history with Eagle, Beano, and 2000 AD, but people tend to forget that because they flip over to superheroes and American comics.
When I opened the shop, I didn’t know one single person that had any interest whatsoever in comics, but it turns out there’s a very big, successful South West comic community, and the community nationally is very supportive. Devon is home to international comic creators such as Jock, (Batman, Judge Dredd) Lee Garbett, (Marvel Comics, Skyward, Shadecraft), and Henry Flint (2000AD), just to name a few. Both Jock and Lee are founding members of DSTLRY, an exciting new comic publisher.
How do you foster that community spirit through the shop?
How do you foster that community spirit through the shop?Through the curation of comics, promotions, contacting people in the industry for support or asking authors to sign. We also have different activities to bring people in such as the drink and draw socials, workshops, Magic the Gathering, film screenings, everything and anything at different times that you think people might want. I’ve been very lucky in that Jock calls this his local comic shop, so he shouts us out a lot of the time as well.
Ashburton is a nice little town; it’s not something where you get loads of footfall, so you’ve got to keep shouting, pushing out and doing things. In a way, it’s a plus as it makes us unique.
It’s all about doing that community outreach and constantly doing things. An owner of an indie bookshop in East London once told me: ‘You don’t sell books sitting in a bookshop.’ Those surprising successes are building the community, such as the support that you get at a local level because people feel it’s their comic shop. I’ve got kids who started here when I first opened and when they still come back, they’re not kids anymore, they’re adults now.
How much collaboration is there between other book shops and comic shops?
How much collaboration is there between other book shops and comic shops?The only comic shops in Devon I keep in contact with are Julian’s Final Frontier in Exeter and Plymouth, which are quite a distance away, plus another one in Plymouth I’ve never had much contact with. The overall comic industry around the UK, they usually go up to Harrogate, to one of the biggest comic cons to get the chance to collaborate.
Organising collaboration is more difficult being in Ashburton, so I can phone Julian or the comic shop in Leeds for personal support, support getting artists to do limited edition book plates for their books, and support promoting books together. The South Devon Book Crawl was a great collaboration between us, Eastgate Bookshop, Ivybridge Books, and First Draft Books, because all these bookshops are within a short distance of each other.
What difficulties have you found running the shop?
What difficulties have you found running the shop?Reality.
I really enjoy it, but it’s just not easy. I don’t think running any bookshop is easy, but a comic book shop is probably even worse in terms of the things you have to overcome. In the beginning, I wrote down how many books I had to sell in a day in order to survive, and tore it up since it was an impossibility, knowing full well that you won’t sell anything some days.
The pandemic was an absolute nightmare. For the younger ones, we had to keep the gaming going via Zoom, outside, here via screens, along with the constant cleaning down of everything and not knowing when you’re next going to open. It was just constantly regulated. The deliveries weren’t coming, books and paper had run out of print, especially manga, and things were stuck in ships halfway around the world. All sorts of silly little things that nobody thought would be a problem.
What exciting events have you got planned in the future?
We have a live panel discussion at Quay Words with Paul Gravett, Jock’s coming along to do a Q&A, and Wallis Eates from Totnes (Ladies Do Comics) will also be coming down to join the discussion.
We’ve also got some funding from Teignbridge District Council to do some free workshops in half term with manga artist Keith Sparrow.
Have you got any advice for people wanting to open a comic shop of their own?
You just have to grit your teeth and do it. There are so many things to consider, so while it’s good to do your research, there are always those random positives and negatives that will pop up. Make use of all of the support and help out there as well.
What comics would you currently recommend?
I’m reading Batman: City of Bane by Tom King. Gone, obviously, as Jock did it. Department of Truth by James Tynion has been really good. Undiscovered Country by Scott Snyder has been absolutely excellent, and A Guest in the House by Emily Caroll is good as well!