ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – An Anchorage comic book store is celebrating its 40th anniversary, serving up a plethora of fun to the Spenard neighborhood and the Anchorage community.
The owner of Bosco’s, John Weddleton, has been with the comics, cards, and collectibles shop for 37 of those 40 years. While always in Spenard, what’s now an institution came from humble beginnings.
“Randy Ramuglia started the company 40 years ago,” Weddleton said. “He came down with a van from Fairbanks, vanload of comics, you know, hippie-looking guy and rough thing, and looking for a place to open shop, and no one would rent to this guy, they would only rent to a ‘real’ business.
“He got a guy with a shoe repair shop to split his space and set up for several months there, and business boomed.”
Now, Bosco’s has its own space in Spenard — part of a beautification of the street — just north of Chilkoot Charlie’s.
“Comic shops generally don’t get this kind of beautiful setting,” Weddleton said. “So it’s really nice … but there’s such a mix of different shops, people like we were starting up early, you know, and they’re just being creative and energetic about what they do and how they do it. You get that dynamic business environment on the street.”
Weddleton himself wasn’t always a comic book fan. He started working with Ramuglia when he had a hard time finding work as an economist in the late 1980s.
Despite bad economies and worldwide pandemics, Bosco’s has been a Spenard staple.
“We have our boom years, and we have our lower years,” he explained. “And make sure you save your money in the boom years so that you can get through the weaker years. But you know, we’ve always had positive cash flow.”
Now, Weddleton can’t imagine a world without comic books.
“There’s such a big variety of stories now that there’s something for everybody,” Weddleton said. “And we have travel vlogs, history — you know, anything, real personal stories … autobiographies or biographies of people.”
Beyond the classics, Bosco’s has an entire wall dedicated to local artists. They also sell collectibles, sports cards, games, and more.
When asked about the future of Bosco’s, Weddleton didn’t have to think twice. He has a tried and true method for business success.
“We follow our customers. You know, when customers ask for something, we go well what is that? Why? Where can we get it? We test it,” he said.
Bosco’s has encouraged its patrons to use their imaginations, get creative, and also get social. The store hosts game nights weekly, bringing together the most passionate of people, regardless of what interests them.
The comic book store is a landmark, not only for Spenard, but Anchorage and beyond.
“Over the years, [we’re] just doing our thing, having fun with it,” Weddleton said. “I’ve really become ingrained with Anchorage culture.”
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