In 2019 – the last year not affected by Covid-19 shutdowns – over 12,000 retail stores in America closed their doors. Over the past 35 years, the number of closures exceeds 250,000. However, during that same time one retail shop in Bellevue has managed to keep its doors open and their customers happy. Ground Zero Comics opened in Bellevue in 1987. Their original location was on Harlan Drive, near where Walgreens currently is. They occupied the far right space in a strip mall that included an 8-11 store. A few years later they moved to their current location – 794 Fort Crook Road, just south of Cornhusker. While their name is Ground Zero Comics, they also carry a wide and diverse selection of books, card games, board games, classic video games, new toys, and vintage toys. Some of the more well-known properties they have in stock include Spider-Man, Batman, Wonder Woman, Star Wars, The Walking Dead, Pokemon, and Magic the Gathering, The store is more than 3,500 square feet with well over 200,000 items for sale. We recently caught up with owner Don Bratetic. Don is a 1973 graduate of Bellevue University (Bellevue College back then) and was valedictorian of the class. Don recalls buying original comics off the racks when he was a kid for 12 cents each. Many of those same books have been sold by collectors online and at auctions for thousands of dollars – and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. These are some of the same stories that have been retold via multiple billion-dollar franchise movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Avengers: Endgame, The Dark Knight, and Black Panther. Don purchased the stores in 1998 from the original owner, Tim Barrett. The second Ground Zero location is in downtown Ralston. When asked what he attributes to their longevity, Bratetic said, “It’s more than just buying what you like. You have to manage your inventory. You have to manage the products you carry. You have to cut back when times are rough and pick up when times are better. You have to listen to your team regarding what the popular trends are and get on them right away. And, in my situation, you have to listen to the younger people because they know what’s going on. If you don’t listen to the younger people, you’ll be gone.” Ground Zero normally receives new products every Tuesday and Wednesday and advance ordering products has always been tricky. “It’s hard to know how much of each book, card set, or game to order. There are no sure things anymore. Sometimes you have to be lucky. And if you are lucky, you guess right. If you guess wrong, you pay the price. I usually just order conservatively most of the time and I think that has saved us.” The shop also dabbles in classic video games and consoles. “Our Bellevue store manager, Dave, has a good knowledge of that. He also is very knowledgeable on vintage toys and action figures such as Star Wars, GI Joe, and Transformers so we offer a nice selection of classic toys at the Bellevue store.” On Fridays and Saturdays, the shop is open until 1 AM. They have done this nearly as long as they’ve been open, providing a place for people to socialize, play their favorite games together, and learn how to play new ones. As we inevitably started talking about the past couple of years and how Covid and the shutdowns have affected their business, Don said, “Our landlord, Rick Sanders, is a great guy to work with. When Covid hit I called him up and let him know my concerns – we were going to have to close down for a while, and then when we reopen I don’t know what it’s going to be like. At the time there were no new comics or games being produced. He said, ‘Don’t worry – I’ll work with you. You’ve been with me forever.’ And he really put me at ease. I’ve worked with many other landlords in my life and very few of them would have done what Rick did.” Ground Zero is open seven days a week:Monday, Tuesday, and Thursdays from 10 am – 8 pmWednesdays from 11 am – 8 pmFriday and Saturdays from 10 am – 1 amSundays from Noon – 6 pm
