Alumni Q&A: Sprague uses Spears Business education to open comic shop with father
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Media Contact: Hallie Hart | Communications Coordinator | 405-744-1050 | hallie.hart@okstate.edu
Pete Sprague turned the pages of a Marvel Adventures comic book and entered a world he never wanted to leave.
At age 4, before he could read every word, he was already holding the item that would launch his business path.
Sprague is a co-founder and co-owner of Sparky’s Comic Shop, which has quickly grown into a hub for collectors since its April 13 opening in Catoosa, Oklahoma. Sprague, a December 2023 Spears School of Business graduate with a business administration degree and minors in international business and event management, has turned his beloved hobby into a fulfilling career.
It’s especially gratifying because Sprague is living his dream with his father, who runs the store with him.
Donald Sprague, an avid comic collector, bought the Marvel Adventures book that introduced his son to comics, and they have shared this enthusiasm ever since. Sprague’s younger sister, a landscape architecture student at OSU, designed the Sparky’s logo, a gray anthropomorphic dog wearing a propeller hat. The cartoon image represents their family dog, who — like comic books — has provided comfort and joy throughout Sprague’s life.
In the midst of the busy holiday shopping season at Sparky’s, Sprague shared with Spears Business how he turned an idea from his college years into a thriving family business.
Where did you grow up, and what led you to Oklahoma State University and Spears?
I grew up in Verdigris, Oklahoma. There was never a question of if I would go to OSU or not. My parents went, my grandparents went and my great-grandparents even went to OSU.
When did you create the idea for Sparky’s Comic Shop?
Throughout college, I had numerous business ideas, and I wrote several of them in a notebook. The other business ideas were fun, but they didn’t feel like dreams that I could realistically attain. What I did know was that I was very passionate about comic books and that I had been reading them since I was 4 years old.
Over the years, I saved as much money as I could to buy comic books that I believed I could flip. I went to all of the local stores, and I dug through discount bins for hours upon end looking for gems. During my last year at college, I had amassed a fairly large collection of nearly 5,000 books. My father and I had always talked about having a business together, and toward the end of my degree, we decided that this was something that we wanted to do. We worked tirelessly on finding and processing books. We eventually signed a lease in Februrary and began the buildout.
Which Spears Business professors or courses have influenced you as a real-world entrepreneur?
The most influential professor/teacher that I had throughout all of my schooling was Ajay Sukhdial (associate professor in the School of Marketing and International Business). I first took his class as a burnt-out sophomore who was terrified for the future. His class showed me how great college really can be. He helped me map out a plan for my future and really helped me stay focused on the things that are important. He encouraged me to do something that I love for a living.
I remember Professor Sukhdial telling me a story about one of his past students who had started up his own shoe company where he buys and sells shoes. He explained to me that the student was incredibly happy being able to work in a field that he loved. Even though shoes are not my passion, that story laid out the foundation for my future. I am forever grateful to Professor Sukhdial for everything that he has done to help me prepare for my future and giving me a great outlook on life.
What is the biggest challenge of running a new business?
The biggest challenge for me is staying up to date on all of the new titles. Not only do I need to have an understanding of what is happening in each title to sell them to customers, but also I need to gauge how popular I think each title will be. For example, I need to order significantly more Batman books than Aquaman. There have been numerous occasions where I have ordered too many or too few of a title. Since we have been open for a few months, we have gotten significantly better at ordering and now have a system that works very well for us.
What is the most rewarding part?
I absolutely love it when I have the exact book that a customer is looking for, especially when it is the last book they need to complete their collection. I love being able to see the excitement on their faces.
Have you noticed any surprising trends in what different age groups are reading?
It appears that younger generations such as Gen Z and Gen Alpha are more interested in manga as opposed to traditional American comics. Millennials and older generations are more interested in American comics rather than manga. It is very important for the store to have a large variety of titles and products to appeal to as many people as we can.
Here’s a tough one. If you could save only one comic from your store in a fire, which would it be and why?
The one comic book that I would save is Secret Wars No. 8. This issue is where Spider-Man gets the symbiote suit that eventually leads to the creation of Venom. We have a really special copy that has a Mark Jewelers insert. A Mark Jewelers insert is simply an ad in the centerfold selling jewelry. Mark Jewelers variants are very scarce when compared to regular copies of books. They were targeted toward men who were off at war in an effort to get them to buy engagement rings for their girlfriends.
What advice would you offer to fellow young entrepreneurs?
As a young entrepreneur, you will have lots of good ideas that unfortunately fail. We have had numerous different ideas of how to sell products, do sales, etc. that have unfortunately failed. It is hard to change something that you believe in but isn't performing well. Knowing when to move on from an idea and adapt to a different method is incredibly important.