House of Fantasy

This is a nice hole in the wall comic and board game store. It has that musty old feel that means you might just find a hidden treasure in the boxes or on the shelves. On our visit, we found an out of print board game we’d been looking for, and the people behind the counter were super friendly. I can’t speak to their comic selection, but they had a nice selection of board games, especially older ones, since it seems like they don’t get a lot of traffic in their store. House of Fantasy is an overlooked gem in Niagara.

Great old style comic store; came in here while I was at Niagara Falls for a trip with the family; great store that had a wonderful selection of priced back issues and a back room with some great older stuff. The owner was very helpful and really friendly. Only thing that would improve it would be if customers had access to the back. Might’ve been able to do it but didn’t seem like it was offered.

I didn’t hate this place but neither was I impressed.
Selection —
Comics — Heavy focus on the «big two» publishers. The back issues that were out front were very limited and almost ALL big two stuff as well. The wider selection of back issues are kept, well, in the back. This destroys the fun of digging through boxes for that random title you’ve never seen before (or becomes a huge burden on the ONE staff member on duty if you have to give them a list of back issues you want them to go dig for — not really smart economically either as people could walk in, not be helped, and leave or more pertinently could have stuffed their pockets and ran from the store while it was unattended).
Merch — They did have a few harder to find action figures reasonably priced, but a lot of the stuff was either SUPER old (dusty, yellowed packaging) or really overpriced. I went with a friend who knows his action figures/​statues and he was pretty disappointed with 99% of their selection for either quality or cost. You expect to pay more than online, obviously, but their was a SIGNIFICANT mark up on some of the figures ($ 25 – 40) versus online or other shops. The newer, kitschy stuff (talked Ted bobble heads for instance) were fairly on point dollar-​wise to other stores.
Games — Where this shop excelled was gaming (a la board games, table top games, etc). They had a RIDICULOUS selection of board games, table top games and accoutrement, card games, expansion packs, etc. They had a ton of stuff I’d never heard of even though I’m a teense of a nerd *har har* and fairly experienced with a handful of hardcore table top/​card gamer nerds.
Service — Like the shop, just meh. He wasn’t unfriendly, just not friendly either, and didn’t seem to know much of anything he was asked outside of the «classic» characters. A good comic store employee needs a really well-​rounded base; you can’t help a wide variety of customers if you’re clueless about anything that’s not a mainstream or Golden/​Silver Age title.
Ambiance — The shop was a pretty typical indie shop — nothing ostentatious but clean enough, and less messy than other small shops I’ve visited. I really liked the store front, which had some amazing old school windows; they had decent organization of books and well cared for display cases.
Overall, a place I’d visit if I lived nearby but nothing I’d go out of my way for. The name is apt as the place does heavily focus on fantasy — fantasy books, some fantasy merch and definitely a huge variety of fantasy games. It’s nice to see «gaming» that isn’t strictly something you plug into an outlet hasn’t died.

House of Fantasy hasn’t changed much in the ten years I’ve been a customer. I doubt it’s changed much since ten years before that; but that’s part of the charm.
There isn’t a fancy computer system, and the pullbins are handwritten.
Here’s the deal: Any comic, toy, or game you want… you can get at HoF. If it’s not in stock, they’ll order it for you. (they also have a ton of first printings in the back that are only available on ebay) You won’t get many deals here, most prices are retail, and for trades especially, online is cheaper. Toys are hit and miss, it’s possible to be saving a lot on a collectible.
However, the owner, Paul, is quite possibly the most entertaining conversationalist you will ever meet, and has great taste. I would not have ever read most of my favorite comics were it not for his recommendations.

I am Mr. Roarke, Your Host.
I cant say enough about House of Fantasy. Wahoo! This is a geeks’ paradise. Comics and models and games and figurines and magazines and glue! The guy is nice, too. He looks a little like a comic book character. Or the «Comic Book Guy» from Simpsons. Not OJ. Have you ever noticed all the ladies’ in the comic books have big boobs? Is that on purpose? If you like such things as Star Trek, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Babylon 5, X-​Files, Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Green Lanternman, or big comic boobs, than this is the perfect place for you! Get your mom to drop you off!