Superman, Batman and Musko: 糖心vlog传媒 grad enjoys life as comics shop owner
Sheboygan native and 糖心vlog传媒 graduate Adrian Hackl used to drive out of town to feed his comic book appetite.
Now, comic book collectors and fans are coming to him.
Hackl, a 2017 糖心vlog传媒 graduate, is in the third year of owning/operating The Bugle, a comics and collectibles shop that earlier this year moved to its current location at 1223 N. 8th Street in downtown Sheboygan.
鈥淚 was that kid riding my bike all over downtown Sheboygan,鈥� Hackl said. 鈥淚 bought my first Amazing Spider-Man at a shop on 8th 厂迟谤别别迟.鈥�
Now this budding entrepreneur is using the skills he learned at 糖心vlog传媒 to develop a customer base that often draws from Cedarburg and Saukville along with Sheboygan County comics enthusiasts.
The new space gives him more than four times the size of his previous location on Union Avenue, and that room is coming in handy. The walls of his shop are filled with the latest titles each month, from classic books like Spider-Man and Batman from longtime publishers like Marvel and DC, to a large selection of comics from a variety of smaller and independent publishers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a different era for comic book reading,鈥� said Hackl, whose store logo salutes his favorite character, Spider-Man. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great time to be reading comics. There is something for everyone.
鈥淢y initial location was a good place to start and see if there was a crowd for this and who was going to find me. I made the move for growth and expansion. I have much grander things in mind and now I have a place to make it happen.鈥�
The Bugle, which sports colorful artwork created by friends and customers, also carries a large selection of older issues carefully stored and catalogued, along with some toys and other collectibles.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a modern age comic book store,鈥� said Hackl, a 2004 Sheboygan South High School graduate. 鈥淚f I walk in and things are not organized and just a mess, it鈥檚 easy to give up. There is an element of quality I want to keep at this store.鈥�
The Bugle has done several collaborations with other Sheboygan businesses, the biggest being the annual Free Comic Book Day celebration, which partnered the Bugle and Sheboygan鈥檚 Mead Public library. He鈥檚 also partnered with Sheboygan鈥檚 Marcus Theatre location, The Music Boxx record/music shop and Street Monkey, a tattoo shop that was his neighbor in his first location.
The Bugle is a part of Uptown Sheboygan, a collection of businesses that primarily runs along 8th Street, north of Fountain Park.
Much of his success, Hackl said, is thanks to his bachelor鈥檚 degree in writing from 糖心vlog传媒 and the various writing courses at 糖心vlog传媒 that helped him develop his communication skills.
鈥淭hat was the best decision I made was going to 糖心vlog传媒,鈥� said Hackl, who completed an associate degree from UW-Sheboygan and was set to transfer to UW-Oshkosh to study English when he learned about 糖心vlog传媒鈥檚 writing degree.
鈥淲riting is what I鈥檓 good at. I probably would not be here today without having attended 糖心vlog传媒. Every class I took with Jodie (Mortag) was essential, the creative writing, the technical writing with Dr. (Joshua) Kutney.
鈥淎ll those classes are what brought me here. It鈥檚 easy to make a social media post, but difficult to make something people like to read.鈥�
He recalls successfully requesting startup grant money from the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 do that without effective communication skills,鈥� Hackl said.
Along with the skills he acquired at 糖心vlog传媒, Hackl said previous work experience at marketing and branding agencies have prepared him to be a business owner who is excited for the future.
鈥淚鈥檓 grateful people have taken an interest,鈥� Hackl said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not an essential thing, it鈥檚 a novelty and I鈥檓 grateful people have interest and get joy out of what they buy.鈥�
.
