(Photo courtesy of Royal Collectibles)
BY MICHAEL PERLMAN
Situated along the village-inspired Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills, known for longtime small businesses, culturally diverse shops and restaurants, and a neighborly and historic sense of place, stands an adventurous corner shop where dreams come true for all ages. Royal Collectibles at 96-01 Metropolitan Avenue has served the community since 1992 in Spider-Man’s hometown. Loyalty, creativity, nostalgia, amiability, and personalization are key characteristics that enable this shop to thrive. The shop adapts nearly every inch for its huge inventory of vintage and recent comics, toys, sculptures, and Funko Pops.
Enter the world of owner Michael Giordano, a 44-year-old Forest Hills resident who earned a marketing degree from St. John’s University. Collectibles are timeless, as is pursuing a passion-driven career. “We have such a unique type of business. I have been pursuing this in one form or another for 30 years, and it is still exciting to see which collectibles might walk in the door on any given day,” said Giordano.
Giordano says he is not much of an artist, but has been a collector since age 12 and is still going strong. To begin, he proudly owns every Amazing Spider-Man comic from issue #1 until present. Embodying much generosity of spirit and exemplifying passion, his shop consists of five very dedicated employees who are immersed in the comic scene. Inspirational and uplifting stories are bound to unfold. He explained, “I always like to hear parents tell me that comic books got their kids interested in reading. My brother-in-law and store manager Bob says, ‘Comics are a gateway to literacy.’”
Below the century-old distinctively appointed brick façade is a versatile mural where children to seniors can feel like a superhero. It was painted by @sonni on Instagram. Sonni, whose slogan is “Painting NYC one wall at a time,” admitted according to Giordano that he never anticipated the paint to hold up for as long as it has. The window displays also feel adventurous.
Stepping within, the shop’s massive range of collectibles is reminiscent of a library with tall ceilings and shelving. With every twist and turn and nook and cranny, the wow factor continues to unfold. Giordano explained, “We are always stocked to the ceiling all around the shop, with more in our basement. We have easily a quarter million individual items. That number is mostly single-issue comics, which we specialize in and continue to double down on, as we hear from customers who say they don’t see single issues at most shops.”
Among the collectibles is one-man dynamo Larry Ng’s “Queens, The World’s Borough,” a miniature replica of the famed sculpture that was relocated from MacDonald Park to Citi Field. “We are happy to be an outlet for folks who are proud of Queens,” he said.
A consistent goal is to boost efficiency in the limited space that Royal Collectibles offers. “We need a lot of room to take in collections of all sizes, then sort, appraise, and prepare the items for sale,” he explained.
Giordano shared his perspective on standout collectibles. “At any given time, we would have some of the big Silver Age keys, as vintage comics go. Others are the first appearance of some of our favorite characters such as Hulk #1, Amazing Fantasy #15 (Spider-Man), Journey into Mystery #83 (Thor), Tales of Suspense #39 (Iron Man), X-Men #1, Daredevil #1, and Avengers #1. We offer a wide variety from the brand Hot Toys, which are 1:6 scale, usually around a foot-tall action figures that come with tons of accessories, supreme poseability, and the best likeness I have ever seen on an action figure. They produce them for most of the comic book related movies and TV shows.”
Royal Collectibles engages Forest Hills and New York City at large, and even visitors by coordinating memorable events that span the decades. Free Comic Book Day is held on the first Saturday of May, and feels like a tradition of the Hills. “There are giveaway comics and we run sales for that weekend too,” explained Giordano. Additionally, the shop utilizes its small parking lot and the sidewalk for featured sales a few times annually. The most popular would be the Maker’s Fair, which accommodates 10 to 12 creative vendors that offer original unique items. Most recently, Batman Day was a success on September 19. Next in line is New York Comic Con on October 8 to October 11, and Small Business Saturday on November 28.
Patrons may have spotted big names in the comic industry if they were fortunate enough to cross paths with them at an event or after entering the shop. “We’ve been fortunate to have great working relationships with Neal Adams, Jim Steranko, Chris Claremont, Frank Miller, and Bill Sienkiewicz, to name a few,” he said.
Royal Collectibles offers a long and intriguing history, originating with prior owners who began street vending in Manhattan. Giordano explained, “They jumped into comics during the speculator boom from 1991 to 1992, selling at tables in front of the Twin Towers. Back then they would have had stacks of Jim Lee’s X-Men #1, Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man #1, and the Death of Superman (Vol. 2 issue 75).” Then in late 1992, they opened the initial shop along Metropolitan Avenue, estimated to be 400 square feet. He continued, “Back then, the comic and sports / gaming trading card hobbies overlapped, so we offered both. As they diverged over the years, around 2011 we actually separated the shop into two on the same block, consisting of the corner store for comics and related items, and Royal Sports and Entertainment a few doors down, specializing in sports cards and memorabilia, as well as trading card games and tournaments.”
In the late 1990s, Giordano shifted from employee to owner, and eventually settled into the corner shop, consisting of approximately 1,800 square feet. When he began driving as a teenager, he made it a point to take trips to shops whenever he had a chance. He explained, “Besides shopping of course, I would always take away things I liked or disliked, and would let that influence the way I ran our shop. Customer service is number one. Always greet someone coming in. Never let chit-chat among employees be a barrier to interacting with a customer. Offer help without being pushy. Keep it tidy and organized as best you can by not having boxes of merchandise all over. There are different ways to package and present things. Displays in a specialty shop are only limited by your imagination.”
Royal Collectibles offers beneficial comic grading services, a complimentary pull list service, and pop and TBD reward programs. Pre-screening services are available for $5 per book to help decide if a comic would be worth grading, and if so, would benefit from professional cleaning and pressing. “We can usually estimate to within .5 to 1.0 grade of the actual grading company. If the customer decides they want to send it in, we handle the interface and shipping with the grading company, and notify the customer when their items return to the shop,” said Giordano.
The pull list is a subscription service for new release comics. Giordano explained, “We adopted new software last year that can handle the classic subscription style, or let customers pick and choose particular issues, and even particular covers they would like us to hold. The service is not only free, but we pass along a ten percent discount to customers who use it.”
For Funko Pops, the shop has a punch card, so the purchase of 10 Pops earns a customer a $15 credit for additional Funko Pops. Similarly, for trade paperbacks, purchase ten at $9.99 and up from the bookshelves, children’s section, or manga, and earn a $20 credit for additional ones.
Giordano would like to help dispel the idea that if an individual sells their collectibles to a shop, they will be offered pennies on the dollar. He explained, “I can remember that often being the case in the 1990s, but today the world is much smaller thanks to the internet broadly and social media. If you want to have top-tier collectibles in your shop in 2026, you have to pay competitively. We offer as close as we can to what someone would, net selling through a website or auction house.”
