Started three years ago by Betty Bayer, Betty’s Books is now bigger than ever. The business has been able to provide a space for patrons to enjoy their favorite comics, manga, and graphic novels in full while also providing reading groups, a podcast called Comics Closet, and a space for myriad events.
“The thing that I love the most is that every day is different,” Bayer says. “I get to learn about new things all the time, meet new people, and we can try out new things if something doesn’t work.”
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Over the past three years, Bayer and her team have seen fast growth in their customer base, and they realized they were outgrowing their space at 10 Summit Avenue in Webster Groves. Parking there is limited, while their events were in high demand. Another factor in deciding it was time to move on included the store being considered a “destination type place for people who love comics—kids, adults and everyone in between,” says Bayer.
This summer, the shop will move to a new location at 8772 Big Bend—a little over a mile down the road from the current home of Betty’s Books. The new space will be wider, with everything spread across one floor so customers can comfortably fill the space during large events. More parking is available, and Bayer says there will be “fun wallpaper in the bathroom” and furniture will be brought from the current building to the new one. A new addition to the store is a coffee shop that will be available at the checkout desk.
Local muralist Javen Solomon, who painted a mural for the interior of the current building, will be painting a new mural for the exterior of the Big Bend building. Bayer says it will start on the side and stretch around the building, and feature similar colors and themes to the original.
Customers can expect a bigger space and selection, as well as the usual sense of community, when they walk through the doors of the new Betty’s Books this summer to find the comic or novel they have been searching for.
“We are a place for everyone. People who are really really experts in comics and people who are new in comics,” Bayer says. “The community scene is a representation of what the purpose of our shop is.”
Keep up to date with Betty’s Books on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
