Aegis Comics of Alaska seeking support to keep doors open

WASILLA — Aegis Comics of Alaska is in danger of shutting its doors permanently. Owners Luis and Amie Nieves are currently seeking support from the public to keep going.

"We don't want to shut the doors," Luis said.

Luis said they had to shut down during the severe wind storm in December of 2022, forcing them to lose out on vital holiday shopping. He said this exasperated the financial stress of keeping the shop in operation. He said it's currently costing them more to stay open than they're pulling in.

"We have so many people that don't know about this shop," Luis said.

Aegis Comics has hosted various events in and around the shop since it opened in 2019.

Aegis Comics established the Valley Comic Con event, the first of its kind in the community and one of the few Comic Cons in the state.

The Valley Comic Con has been held at Everett's since its inception, but due to the continued growth, it will be held at the Menard Sports Center in the future.

Amie said they plan to hold more types of community events at the shop, including art nights, date nights, and trivia nights.

"We're trying to give an experience here," Amie said.

"When we created this space, our goal was to make it very comfortable for everyone that comes in here. It's about community," Amie said.

Amie said they went all in with their personal finances to keep the shop open. She said they're not trying to get rich, they simply want to keep doing what they're doing.

"We wanted to bring something to the community that they didn't have. We knew we wouldn't be rolling in the dough."

Lu and Amie created a GoFundMe page with a $7,500 goal. The community quickly responded and donated $5,845 as of Thursday, Jan. 19.

"It's been humbling," Lu said.

Amie said they had an especially bittersweet moment when a local child handed them $100 at the store telling them that he didn't want them to shut down.

"I burst into tears," Amie said. "It's just been incredible. We're not done fighting. We're not giving up."

Luis said that he's feeling hopeful for the future. He said seeing special moments such as customers connecting with their children over comic books makes it all worth it.

"We can keep this shop open, we just need the traction. I think we can catch up," Luis said.

He said everyone who walks in is treated with kindness and respect, whether it's a new customer or a familiar face. He said it feels like "Cheers" around the shop.

"We know your name," Luis said with a laugh.

Luis and Amie also run a second shop at JBER. Luis is a Navy and Coastguard veteran. He said they plan to keep that location open as well.

"For us, it's family," Luis said.

For more information, call 907-376-3400 or visit aegiscomicsalaska.com.

GoFundMe link:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-alaskas-veteran-owned-comic-book-store?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unknown&utm_campaign=comms_rsgg+help-save-alaskas-veteran-owned-comic-book-store

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com