A Newport trader has admitted opening a second store during the coronavirus pandemic is an "educated gamble" but said he feels people need their hobbies "more than ever."
Shane Jordan runs Sin City Comics and Gaming in Friars Walk, and opened its second store in nearby Cwmbran this week.
The shop, which offers a range of comic books, cards, games and mechandise, started in Cwmbran in 2015 before moving to Newport in mid-2016.
And this week marked the grand opening of its new store in the Cwmbran Centre, which opened on Wednesday.
"We've been negotiating for a long time pre-lockdown. We should've moved in before the first lockdown, but the pandemic obviously slowed everything down a bit," Shane said.
"The plans were always there, and we feel it's the right time for it to go ahead."
Despite the pandemic hitting the retail sector hard, Shane said opening a second store came at exactly the right time, with many people using entertainment as a lifeline during the pandemic.
Sin City has a sizeable following online, and has been trading online throughout the pandemic during the time it has been closed.
"It's been OK; decently enough to warrant going ahead with the new opening," he said.
"We've had the website up and running too, and that's been going well.
"People need this stuff more than ever, especially if we go into another lockdown.
"It's a communal thing, you know - being a geek or a nerd is a lot more fashionable than it was maybe five, ten years ago."
Shane added: "I've said it before, but retail isn't going to survive the way things currently are. You have to give people an all-around customer experience and have the passion and love for it, rather than just being a shop selling things.
"It's about the knowledge of the products and creating environments where people can come and play games and feel safe, whether you're an eight-year-old or an 80-year-old."
And it's not just comics either; from Friends memorabilia to board games and Pokemon cards, there's something for everyone.
Shane added that gaming nights and dedicated themed areas were key to its Newport store's success, and that this would be even more important in its future plans.
"We've got a long term plan for it to grow, having things like our Harry Potter platform nine and three quarters section in Newport, places where people can come and have their picture taken.
"Everyone in the shop has their own areas of knowledge, and it's important to be able to talk to someone who knows about the products and can give recommendations.
"It's an educated gamble, but the Cwmbran Centre has been really supportive of the new store and it's happened for the right reasons."
