After operating out of a 550-square-foot space for more than two decades,
Phantom of the Attic comics store has quadrupled in size, relocating its business to 411 S. Craig St., just blocks from its previous digs.
Located above Top Notch Art Center, the 2,400-square-foot space features an integrated design that better showcases the shop’s inventory of comic books and graphic novels—literally thousands of them—and merchandise like collector supplies, posters, action figures, and t-shirts.
Designer
Matthew Clifford—known for his work on the
Sprout Fund’s offices—created the store’s new identity using a visual vocabulary of shape, color, building and finishing processes, and material. Clifford’s modular system of cabinets, fixed racks and mobile units can be reconfigured to accommodate various product displays, presentations and set-ups. Boasting six times the shelf space of its previous location, the design also features plexi-glass and mdf fixtures, bookshelf sections, steel sign channels, and a new counter.
“It’s the first time we’ve stepped outside the box. There are so many options with Matthew’s design,” says owner Jeff Yandora, who is planning a grand opening for the fall. “I really wanted to have a local person involved.” The shop also features blue-gray cement latex flooring, skylights and offices designed by Artisan Renovation.
“I've always worked to create paths of movement that both reveal space in an interesting sequence and create ‘snapshots’ of specific compositions along the way,” says Clifford, 30, who cites a renewed interest in graphic novels as a force behind Phantom’s expansion. “There are real parallels between how I approach organizing space and designing components and how comic books visually unwrap plot lines and action. I'm looking for ways to pack in features that have little secrets to them.”
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSources: Jeff Yandora, Phantom of the Attic; Matthew Clifford, Matthew
Clifford and Company
Photograph copyright Brian Cohen