Tim Ferrante is a proud greek.
HUDSON — Tim Ferrante grew up going to the GameStop in Hudson.
Now, he’s opening up his own video game and comic bookstore – Geek Boutique – on June 13 in the same plaza at 234 Washington Street. From comics to video games, Ferrante is working to keep the in-person experience alive.
“I think in some ways that’s kind of lost art,” he said. “I love seeing young kids get into comics, because that’s how we have future generations of comic readers. And I think readers in general.”
For Ferrante, being a “geek” is a full-time job. He began running what would eventually become Geek Boutique out of his house in 2010, shortly after he graduated from college.
Since then, demand has ballooned. He opened his first official storefront in Clinton in 2014, and soon after, moved into a larger space across town in 2020. Though the COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges, Geek Boutique began to sell online and continued to expand.
Ferrante later opened a location inside the Solomon Pond Mall in 2022, though it closed earlier this year due to a leasing issue. Hudson now marks the shop’s new second location – and Ferrante said he isn’t done there.
“[It was] always kind of a dream of mine to keep opening stores and expanding and stuff like that, especially while watching GameStop kind of shrink in the amount of locations they had,” Ferrante said.
Ferrante will soon open a third location in Littleton this fall. He calls Geek Boutique a “one-stop shop” for all things “geeky.” Having a community and a space to be yourself and dive into the world of superheroes and adventure is needed now more than ever, he said.
“To see the kind of stores that I loved, especially growing up, disappearing, I’m trying to put myself in a position to kind of replace them with opening locations in communities so kids have something to look forward to going to and stuff like that to keep all this stuff alive,” Ferrante said.
Ferrante’s parents were antique dealers, and he grew up going in and out of flea markets and antique shops. But while his parents shopped for unique and vintage items, he was drawn to old comics.
It’s always been a form of escapism, Ferrante said, and a chance to see the world from a new lens.
“A big thing that gravitates me toward all that stuff is getting to be in a different world for a little bit,” Ferrante said.
With his shop, he’s able to pass on the same love for creativity and imagination as he had when he was a kid.
“I love when a kid comes in and picks out their first ever comic book and starts to get into that. That’s really my favorite part – it’s just getting to build that whole community fandom aspect,” he said.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content
