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Date: 6/23/2021
ENFIELD, CT – For avid fans of collectibles, Matt’s Sportscards & Comics at 348 Hazard Ave. is the place to go. The business has been in Enfield since 1987 and is packed with autographed sports cards, video games, figures, merchandise and comic books with genres ranging from sci-fi, horror and romance to action.
Owner Matt DeRoma said, “On the comic and graphic novel end, 65 to 70 percent of our sales are super heroes. We also have an extensive inventory of Japanese manga. We have about 15,000 unique Manga titles featuring robots, monsters, superheroes, high school adventures, romance, westerns, space opera, sports and more. It’s a lot more diverse than the American comics.”
He continued, “People are drawn to the shop because they love the stories. Whether it’s a comic book or a sports player’s history in the game, if there’s a good story behind it people love it. I love sport, comics and manga so if a customer asks me what’s a good read they can buy, I can point them in the right direction.”
DeRoma told Reminder Publishing that his father, Matthew, had a love for coins and cards. He was working at IBM during the early 70s and did coin conventions on the weekends. As for DeRoma, he said was fascinated with comics. The earliest memory he has is the summer of 1976 on the 4th of July when he bought his first comic, which was Spiderman 166.
In 1974, DeRoma’s father opened a small shop in Hempstead, NY called “Paramount Stamp and Coin.” DeRoma was given his own business cards by his father, who set him up at comic conventions under “Matt’s Comic Emporium” in 1980.
DeRoma’s father moved their family out of New York and to Connecticut in 1986. He opened his shop in the Enfield location on 169 Elm St. under the new name, Matt’s Sportscards & Comics, in 1987.
Last year before the pandemic, the shop expanded and moved to its new location on 348 Hazard Ave. In 1995, DeRoma became the owner of the shop when his father stepped down. His father continued participating in coin and card conventions until he passed away in 2018.
This year the shop is hosting three food drives. Generally, DeRoma said they run two food drives a year, but this year their third run is around Halloween. On July 27, there will be a meet and greet/autograph signing from 2 to 7 p.m. with Dominic Pace (Gekko the Bounty Hunter from The Mandalorian). The autograph fee is $25 and Matt’s Sportscards & Comics will donate 10 food items to Enfield Loaves and Fishes for every autograph.
Aug. 14 is “Free Comic Book Day” where customers will have 50 different free books to choose from. The first book is free, and each additional book will cost one canned food item. Donations will go to Enfield Loaves and Fishes. The shop will have events running that day as well, however the specifics are forthcoming.
The shop also has a summer reading program in June and July that they have been running for 10 years. Free books are available every Wednesday to anyone who wants one. They have different books each week with titles ranging from those for children just starting to read to adults.
DeRoma told Reminder Publishing he would love for one of his children to take over the shop one day, but said he’s not holding his breath. “They have to find something they love doing,” DeRoma responded. “My goals for the shop, whether I’m here or someone else is, that it’s still here for another 30 years.”
Matt’s Sportscards & Comics is open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. When card tournaments start back up again, the shop will be closing at 9 p.m. on Fridays. For more information go to their website at cardandcomicshop.com, their Facebook page or call at 860-741-2522.