Hidden Gems: Meet Jake Motsinger and Ben Motsinger of Memory Lane Comics

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Motsinger and Ben Motsinger. 

Hi Jake and Ben, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My brother and I have always had a fascination with superheroes and sci-fi stories. Starting with ninja turtles- watching the cartoons while playing with the toys and falling in love with Marvel superheroes and Star Wars. We would spend every bit of allowance money on new action figures and comics, begging our parents to take us to Memory Lane Comics or Toys R Us. Throughout High school, I’d ask about getting a job at one of the local comics stores, and finally, during my freshman year at UNCW, I happened to walk into Memory Lane Comics at the exact right time and was offered a job! 

I eventually got Ben a gig covering shifts here at the shop with me, and our passion for comics grew. In 2008, with a downturn in the economy, things were in rough shape at MLC. I put in a notice with the owner that I was going to move on after I finished at UNCW, and he let me know that he was going to close down the shop. It didn’t feel right letting it go, so I asked if he would let me take it over and try to keep it going. He agreed to sell the stock to me on a payment plan, and I cut out of school with only one semester left (I’ve since gone back and finished up my degree) and in December of 2009, I took over the store that I’d shopped at for so long. 

A couple years into running MLC, with financial struggles from my learning curve into what it actually takes to run a business, my little brother Ben sold his car to keep the shop open and became my business partner. I’m thrilled to say his gamble paid off, and we’ve turned this little shop into what it is today. We truly just wanted to make the shop into exactly what our childhood selves would have lost their minds over. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
This road has been SO ROCKY! I took over MLC with almost no money, but I’m thankful for that at this point. Having our backs constantly against a financial problem made it so I actually had to figure and understand what makes this business work and fully prioritize where our budget went. I didn’t have a credit card for years while running the shop, so everything had to be paid for with certified checks or a debit card, so we got very used to creatively moving our inventory to keep our bills paid. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Memory Lane Comics. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Our brand is about bringing comics into the community and bringing the community into comics. We run regular hangout events and book clubs and focus on making comics and our hobby as accessible as possible and find ways for fans to get to know each other and share their passion with others. 

Our comic shop is split into 2 spaces that are across the street from each other. The first is Memory Lane Comics, which is more like a modern bookstore with cool collectibles and fun gifts. Our business model runs mainly off of a subscription service of modern comics and graphic novels with a staff that knows the books well and recommends them based on what types of stories a customer enjoys. 

We love putting the perfect comic into our customers hands, and our goal is to make sure that when people leave Memory Lane Comics, they’re happier than when they walked in. 

Our other space, called Memory Lane Comics Part II (Aka the sequel), is a few doors down and across the street, and it is more of a classic comic shop where we buy and trade all sorts of cool stuff. Part II is like a treasure hunt, where we never really know what’s going to walk through the doors and what sort of cool products we’re going to put on the shelves. The staff there are passionate about vintage comics and toys, and retro merchandise and love reuniting people with that lost item their mom sold in a yard sale. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The next 5-10 years should be interesting. Our store is built on adapting and pushing us forward, and over the past few years, we’ve really upped our technology to keep up with modern shopping. I think the future is bright for comics shops, as young adult and kids’ books are soaring in sales, there’s new manga readers constantly, and these young readers are growing into adult comic readers at a time when graphic novel storytelling is viewed entirely differently than it was before now. Comics and graphic novels are recognized with a respect that they didn’t used to have. They’re taught in schools and revered as a medium that can get kids that don’t like reading into being regular readers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mlcshop.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/memorylanecomics/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mlcshop/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/memorylanecomix
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@memorylanecomicsandtoys 

Image Credits
Murphy Turner