Meet The Team
With an active community of artists and creators, an annual comics convention, a dedicated Comics Studies program at the University of Oregon, and a uniquely independent spirit, Eugene has the potential to rival Portland’s nationally renowned comics scene. At Books With Pictures Eugene, we aim to become the center of that community.
Books with Pictures Eugene was first conceived in 2019 as a friendly neighborhood comic book store and a center for the local comics (and all-around geek) community in all its diversity. We found a location in the heart of downtown Eugene—easily accessible year-round, near the library, and steps away from tons of amazing local businesses. It would be a place where long-time comics fans could enjoy the familiar amenities of a local comic shop: knowledgeable staff, a well-curated inventory, and weekly subscription services. New readers would feel welcomed by shelf-talker recommendation tags and clearly-marked, intuitive store organization. The shop would maintain an active calendar of signings, artist talks, reading groups, fan events, and workshops.
We opened our doors for our first day of business on March 3, 2020...only to have to close again less than two weeks later due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. A hard first year to be sure; some of our lofty aims had to be shifted or put on hold for a bit. However, thanks in no small part to an amazing response from the community of comics fans we survived...and even grew!
Our shop focuses on a curated stock of new comics and graphic novels, with a particular attention to books that cater to the interests of folks who often feel left out of traditional geek spaces: women, kids, BIPOC and the LGBTQ folks. In doing so, we’re following in the footsteps of our sister store Books with Pictures. Founded by Katie Pryde in Portland, Oregon in June of 2016, Books With Pictures is our “sister store.” We are connected by our foundational philosophies about what makes comics great, and what makes a great comic shop. As partners, we are also able to work together to plan events and bring guests up and down the I-5 corridor, as well share stock and sales information in order to better understand the changing market. At the same time, each store is independently owned and responds directly to the needs of its local community.
Meet the Team
Young Avengers, Moon Knight, and VENOM expert. They also are a graduate of UO, with a BA in Comparative Literature focusing on medieval Scandinavian and Russian literature. They previously worked at an independent bookstore managing used books, translations, comics, history, and antiquarian books.
