Paper Asylum

On my first visit to any town, as a lifetime comic/game store lover, I HAVE to visit all of the local shops and get a feel for what's going on. Comic Shops are one of the few last bastions of retail that hasn't been completely homogenized, and as such, when I walk into to one I never quite know for sure what I'm going to get. Today was no different! I walked into Paper Asylum first, before any other shops in the area, and as far as my first impressions of Beverly go, I may be smitten. The shop is bright, clean, and chock full of anything a growing nerd needs in their pop culture diet. The shelves are lined with comics and trades, toys and boardgames, and even the odd trading card game. As an MTG fan for many years I couldn't help but look through their wares. The service was great and my GF and I had an excellent conversation with the owner talking about all sorts of things related to hobbies and games. If I could leave a 6th star I would, but the only thing remotely close to criticism I have is that there didn't look like there was a place to play said games, but I may just not have seen it (some shops squirrel them away where they can fit them and I was also quite distracted by all the cool stuff).

Small, but nice shop that does a great job supporting new and local artists. Lots of events, friendly staff, great location. I've picked up a few keys here.