Star Clipper Closing

I owned Star Clipper, arguably the best comic shop in St. Louis, for about 6 years during the late 1990s. I bought it from the original owners, Carol and Sonny Denbow about 1995 and sold it to the current owners, AJ and Ben Trujillo, in 2001 and truly enjoyed visiting the store under all three ownerships. Below is the email AJ sent out to the store's email list today:

Dear Friends of Star Clipper,

It is with great regret Ben and I must inform you that after more than a quarter century serving St. Louis, Star Clipper is closing its doors.

The personal and professional experience of managing Star Clipper has been the most important of our lives. We were lucky to inherit the legacy from wise people ahead of their time, grow with the medium, and love the job. But the time has come to bring Star Clipper to a natural conclusion.

Making the decision to close after our 17-year tenure was very difficult. We will miss the connection to St. Louis' incredible fan community, talented creative professionals and fellow Loop businesses. We have been privileged to work with staff who set the standard for professionalism. Our suppliers and partners have our gratitude for all their support over the years.

Star Clipper gave us a unique opportunity to innovate and explore. We hope you have enjoyed being a part of it! 

Now for some practical considerations:

Starting Saturday, January 17, 2015 we will begin liquidating our inventory with a discount of 25% off everything storewide. We will be happy to accept reasonable offers for our fixtures and other equipment as well.  Preordered items will not be discounted.

We will continue to receive new comics and graphic novels through the month of January. Our subscription customers will receive a separate message about arrangements being made on their behalf.

Our hours of operation are changing. As of this writing we will be open seven days a week from 10 AM to 8 PM.

Gift certificates and store credit will be honored through February 10, 2015. The excellent Fantasy Books, Inc. chain, which offers three metro area locations, will honor valid Star Clipper gift certificates beginning February 10, 2015.  We will no longer be purchasing used Graphic Novels. 

Thank you for everything, St. Louis! See you in the funny papers.

Sincerely Yours,

A.J., Ben, and the Staff of Star Clipper