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Yonkers will welcome the city's newest comic book store on May 4 when The Spider's Web celebrates the grand opening of its 887 Yonkers Ave., location.
For store owner and New Rochelle resident Paul Borrero, the opening will mark the transition of comic books as a longtime hobby into a business.
“It has always been a passion for me,” said Borrero, a collector for more than 25 years. “So I decided to put my passion to work for me.”
The Spider’s Web, a name that pays tribute to Borrero’s favorite superhero, Spiderman, will carry more than 150 comic titles, including classic characters like Superman, Batman and Thor.
But there will also be games and comics for younger readers, with Scooby Doo and Sonic the Hedgehog among the choices. Borrero said his comic book store is meant to draw collectors and novice readers alike, while offering children more than just a few minutes of entertainment.
“It’s good for the community and kids learn to read and have reading skills and stuff like that,” Borrero said.
With comic book stores at a premium in Westchester County, Yonkers residents were often forced to travel to places like Scarsdale or New York City to get their comic fix. So Borrero, who works in real estate management, has been keeping an eye out a store front he could turn into his own comic shop.
When he found the Yonkers Avenue location, near Empire City Casino, Borrero said it was a perfect fit.
“Kids need a place to ago and people who like to collect comics need a place to go in in lower Westchester County,” he said.
Borrero will pull the curtain back on his Yonkers Avenue store May 4 with a grand opening celebration from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors will celebrate with costume-clad guests, balloons and popcorn as well as free giveaways.
The store is also partnering with the Dunwoodie Masonic Lodge to offer a free Child Identification event. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., parents can collect photographs and fingerprints from their children that will be put in a kit to help police should the child go missing.
“We’re going to try to go all out and make it a community event,” Borrero said.
But May 4 isn’t just any day in the world of comics. It also happens to be Free Comic Book Day.
The Spider’s Web and comic stores around the country will be giving out away free comics to anyone who walks through their doors. It’s a way to educate and attract new readers while also drawing back old ones, Borrero said.
“The regular person doesn’t know much about industry, they know about movies,” Borrero said. “Once they learn about the comic book industry, they learn there are so many characters and story lines and they enjoy it more.”
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