NORMAN — When Annette and Matt Price decided to buy a small book store on Porter Avenue back in 1998, it was throwing caution to the wind to say the least.
Both natives of central Oklahoma, the couple were working in Little Rock at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette when they learned a small book store was for sale in Norman, where the pair had graduated from the University of Oklahoma.
Comics hold a special place in the Prices’ hearts.
“When we dated, a big thing we shared an interest in was comics,” Price said. “So when this opportunity came up… to move back to where our families are and start this business together… we were excited about it.
“We were young and we just decided to go for it.”
Neither one of them had ever owned a business before, but more than a decade later Speeding Bullet Comics continues to thrive. Every Wednesday new comics arrive, and Price said the store gets as many as 500 new comics each month.
When they took over the store, it only sold a few comics, along with more traditional reading material. Today, the store stocks not only individual comics but a sizable inventory of graphic novels, action figures, statues, gaming equipment and T-shirts.
“We started the business from almost nothing, basically,” Price said. “We’ve grown and it’s worked out well for us.
“There’s definitely something good going on here.”
In addition to Speeding Bullet, the Prices lease the space next door. She said its long-term use is kind of up in the air.
“It’s sort of still in transition,” Price said. “We use it for events, primarily, like gaming tournaments and things like that… we’re still trying to figure out the best use for it.”
But selling comics isn’t the only focus of the store. Price said she and her husband, who have three daughters, like to promote literacy by holding blowout sales and participating in Free Comic Book Day, which is May 1.
“Anybody can come in and get a comic book for free,” she said of Free Comic Book Day. “You don’t have to buy anything, and a lot of times publishers create giveaways that are exclusives.”
And while some couples may cringe at the thought of working together, Price said running a business with her husband is “a natural fit.”
“Over the years we’ve had different roles,” she said. “We just switch off and we play off of each other… that’s how our relationship works.”
Speeding Bullet Comics, 614 N. Porter Ave, can be reached at 360-6866. To visit them online, visit www.speedingbulletcomics.com.
Andrew Knittle 366-3540 aknittle@normantranscript.com
