We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kent Timm. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kent below.

Kent, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?

Did we have employees from the start? The short answer is no, but the long answer is, “it’s a process”. When we launched Most Wanted Comics, it was just myself, and my business partner Kevin. We had been working together for years prior to that, traveling to conventions across the country, working out of garages and warehouses, with no real “physical” store like most of our peers at the time. Eventually however, that changed. We were getting older, and the landscape of this industry had changed, mostly due to the pandemic. When we decided to open a local brick and mortar business in 2023, the scale of how we operated had to change with it. Comics isn’t exactly a “million-dollar industry.” We started the store with nothing but ourselves, our leftover inventory from pre-pandemic, and a goal to become the best comic shop in the Twin Cities. However, again, we were starting from ground zero, with no established name in the retail space, no presence on “Indeed” or other hiring platforms, no reviews, and not in the financial position to support a full retail team. But like I said before, it’s a process. After many months of early growth, and “finding our footing”, we found ourselves finally in a position to hire some part-time help. Comic stores are a little bit different than major retail chains. There is no shortage of people who wouldn’t mind making a few extra bucks working part-time in their favorite hobby shop. However, we wanted something more than just someone to run the register. We wanted to find someone who won’t just fit our environment and mix well with our model and goals, but someone who could elevate our business to the next level. It took time, and there were roadblocks to overcome. When you operate for so long as a family business, there can be some nerves around changing that. But when we found them, we knew we were making the right choice. Each member of our team was responsible and knowledgeable in a different avenue of our business. All avenues that we, the management team, knew we wanted to grow and develop further. Today, and a few more employees later, we’ve built a team of people who are not only valued, respected, and welcomed by all of us at Most Wanted Comics and our customer base, but who are all experts, professionals, and innovators in their own way. Each brings a unique level of knowledge and perspective to all avenues of our business. All working to make Most Wanted Comics the best store it can be.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Let me start by properly introducing myself. My name is Kent Timm, and I own Most Wanted Comics, a local comic shop in Bloomington, Minnesota. “How did I get into my industry” is a question I get asked often. Owning a comic shop isn’t exactly what comes to mind first when you tell someone you run a small business. But that’s why I love it so much, it’s not just a small business for me, it’s my passion. I’ve known comics almost my entire life, from a reader, to a collector, this has always been one of my core interests. Beyond that, I’m also not new to working in this industry. Before opening my own comic shop, I spent years travelling, selling at comic and pop culture conventions around the country. As exciting as that life can be, I knew eventually I had to settle down, and open my own store. What makes Most Wanted Comics so special to me is I get to make something that reflects my passion for this hobby, and passion of those I work with. It’s also something I never really got with traveling or my past employment, connecting with my community. That’s what comics are at its core, a community, one that connects to almost every pop culture environment out there. Whether you’re talking cards, comics, collectibles, wrestling, you name it, it’s all about community, and I wanted my store to reflect that. From offering all the new sets from your favorite TCGs like Pokémon or Magic the Gathering, to carrying the hottest new collectibles, and offering in-store “meet-and-greets” with famous professional wrestlers and comic creators, Most Wanted Comics is proud to offer a place where people can come together to enjoy the things they love.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I look at two different markets: the comic book community and our local community. First thing we did to build a reputation within our local community was find as many opportunities to get involved as possible. For example, we gave discounts to those who donated canned goods to our local food shelf, VEAP, and gave packages to local schools for their carnivals or PTA programs. We also sponsor clubs and teams in the high schools. For the comic book scene, we bring in artists and writers for comic fans to meet at our shop, as well as pop culture celebrities such as wrestlers and actors. Additionally, we do a weekly YouTube show and contests and events throughout the year, such as our Most Wanted Madness super hero bracket.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Kevin and I met when he was selling advertising at my brother’s comic shop. He and I developed a rapport since his son was interested in comic books and he was trying to get him to read more. Kevin started a local comic show called Comicard, which held events a few times a year. I vended at his shows and helped him get more local vendors to table there as well. When he wanted to branch out, he started going to shows with me across the country. We complimented each other well, between his sales style and my knowledge of the product. He enjoys working with people and was critical in getting everything pulled together to open the store, from dealing with the city, scouting out locations and pulling the contractors together to get the store ready for opening day. He does a good job keeping the business organized so I can do what I do best, which is buying and processing comic collections.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mostwantedcomics.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mostwantedcomicsllc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mostwantedcomicsmn
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mostwantedcomics?si=gEQ5EzORQ0gKXv__