The customer perused the shop's aisles for 20 minutes, hovering about as if he was waiting for the right moment to say something. Then, he walked tepidly up to the store's owner.
"I heard the news," the man said.
"Yeah. Yeah," said Michael Drivas, owner of Big Brain Comics.
For weeks, rumors of the Minneapolis shop's demise have gotten louder, worrying longtime regulars and cartoonists who call Big Brain one of the true anchors of the local comic book scene.
Their fear was justified. Drivas plans to close his shop in late June.
For 20 years, Drivas and Big Brain have been synonymous with Minnesota's comic book culture. During that time, local artists have counted on the owner as a friend and adviser, while the shop has been lauded for its diverse mix of superhero stories, graphic novels, alternative titles and self-published mini-comics.
Among the Twin Cities' dozen or so comic shops, it sticks out. With exposed brick walls, soaring ceilings and silver air ducts looming overhead, Big Brain's interior could almost pass for a trendy clothing boutique — if it weren't for the shelves and shelves of comics.
"When I started, I didn't have, like, a 40-year plan," Drivas said. "I can just stop."