A comic enthusiast has taken over a former vintage shop in Romford - returning to the place where he started his business.
Comic Box has returned to its original unit at Romford Shopping Hall, replacing Italian-style vintage store Modernariato after its closure earlier this year.
Owner Jason Rutland has been on a journey since his comic shop was first based in the shopping hall, but said it is "really lovely" to be back where it all started.
His original store, called Comic Book Heroes, moved from the shopping hall to The Quadrant, before Jason took a brief five-month retirement in 2024.
On his return to Romford Shopping Hall in September 2024, Jason told the Recorder he reopened the business because he got "bored" of watching TV and "eating everything out the fridge".
Now, almost two years after his mini retirement, Jason said he is "taking it one step at a time".
He told the Recorder: "This was my unit when I first started.
"Obviously then I went across to the other side into The Quadrant.
"Then I closed the business down completely and I wasn't going to do anything.
"I was just going to call it a day.
"And then I decided, no, I don't think retirement suits me.
"I'm taking it one step at a time, if I'm honest with you.
"I'm really glad to be back and I'm really pleased that all my customers are coming back and a lot of people are supporting me, which is really nice.
"Everyone's sort of getting behind me - it's really lovely.
"Hopefully the more stock I can sell means I can buy stuff, and that means more customers can have what they want."
Jason said he plans to bring in more memorabilia and collectibles alongside the comic books and Manga he already sells.
He also wants to try to host some cosplay events, utilising the extra space.
Jason said: "I had it already planned out before I even came in here because I knew what it was like and I've got a little bit of storage behind there, which is what I needed.
"That's really what made me move back here because the other shops didn't have any storage and I had my stock elsewhere.
"So now it's all there, which is fantastic."
Comic Box is open from 11am until 5pm, Monday to Saturday.
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