Do you have a third place? It’s the place, other than home and school/work, where you spend your time. I used to have a fantastic one, but I lost it long ago. Let me tell you about what it meant to me.
The Hive of Scum and Villainy That Raised Me
If you’re local to Kalamazoo and an anime fan, there’s a good chance you remember Discount Hobby. I’m not even going to try to get the timeline correct, but during my teens and early 20s, Discount Hobby was my third place. Unlike the still-extant-and-thriving Fanfare Comics, which offered a polished, fluorescent lit retail comic book shop experience, Discount Hobby was comparatively a run down hive of scum and villainy. The term “rats nest” comes to mind.
That’s not to say it was dirty, or unsafe. But it didn’t feel like “professional retail”. It felt like “some guys running a store together”, and that’s what it was. The front area was dedicated to new release comics. In the back, seating for tabletop and trading card gaming. And in between was the closest thing to an anime store in Kalamazoo. There were wall scrolls, playing cards, books, and bootleg SonMay CDs. Crucially, they also rented out anime on VHS, and it was there I first experienced classics like Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, Macross Plus, and Ghost in the Shell.
Paul was in charge of the anime section, and he spent a large amount of his patience and time talking to me about anime, and L5R, and anything else. He’s one of the reasons I have an interest in anime to this day, and we became friends outside the store as well, hanging out, playing games, and travelling to tournaments.
Eventually, Discount Hobby changed ownership, and Paul and I grew apart. It stopped being my third place, and later went out of business. I started getting my anime and my community elsewhere, but I don’t know that I ever replaced it as my third place.
What made it special?
Discount Hobby served a purpose. It was a place to gather, and meet like minded people, and to share similar interests. A place to cultivate fandom, and discover new obsessions. A place where I spent hundreds of hours with friends and acquaintances and frenemies. I remember the excitement I felt as I walked in, knowing friends were waiting for me inside. The excitement of seeing a new VHS tape arrived, or I can FINALLY read the next chapter of Maison Ikkoku.
It wasn’t polished, and it was always kind of a rat’s nest. But Discount Hobby gave me anime, and friendships, and new experiences. And I want it back.
Kalamazoo needs a home for otaku
Kalamazoo has several fantastic nerdy businesses, sure, but not a third place for anime fans. For example, there is 2nd Chance Games and Rocket Comics. Fantastic stores, but not really gathering places. Fanfare has events and energy, but is rooted in comics and tabletop gaming.
Where is the lost weeaboo supposed to call home? The otaku who just wants to find a friend who loves Demon Slayer as much as they do? Where can the anime fan go and just browse material and find something interesting they have never even heard of? That’s what I want 「gan·ba·re!」to be. An anime store Kalamazoo fans can call their own.
「gan·ba·re!」to the rescue? The new third place.
I want「gan·ba·re!」to be the third place, or heck, even the second, for the unwashed masses of anime fans (seriously, though. Wash.) A place to hang out, make friends, discover something weird, and lose your minds over the latest installment of DanDaDan. A place where you can trade in the things that don’t spark joy anymore for things that do.
So what about you? Do you have a third place? If not, maybe 「gan·ba·re!」can be yours too. I’m building it because I need it. And if you do too… well, I hope I’ll see you there.