Red Pegasus Comics Is Practically Giving Merchandise Away in Preparation for Move

For nearly three years, a quaint red house at 208 W. Eighth St. in Oak Cliff has given comic book devotees a place to browse, gather and feel welcome. But Red Pegasus Comics’ lease is up, and its owners have set their sights on relocating the beloved little shop a few blocks away to Bishop Avenue.

Incredible sale prices are running until the move: 25-cent back issues, $5 trade paperbacks and 50 percent off  toys and accessories. “As much as we love our current spot, something new became available on Bishop Avenue and we are currently working on building it out for the next version of Red Pegasus Comics,” a statement posted on the shop’s website and Facebook page says.

Red Pegasus is the first shop in Oak Cliff to feature local and independent comic book writers and artists alongside comics and trade paper backs from traditional publishers such as Marvel, DC and Dark Horse. Co-owners Kenneth Denson and Gabriel Mendez first opened Red Pegasus in November 2014 at Zang Boulevard and Seventh Street as a pop-up shop with a strong focus on customer service. After a couple of months, they moved the shop into the red house.

The new location will be between Hunky’s and Alchemy Salon, at 317 N. Bishop Ave., across the street from Emporium Pies. Red Pegasus will be in the building with the eye-catching mural of Oak Cliff’s Yvonne Craig, who portrayed Batgirl on the 1960s TV show Batman.

“We’re moving to Bishop Arts for the increased foot traffic and visibility,” Mendez told the Observer on the phone a few hours after the announcement was made yesterday. “We always thought maybe one day, but with the rising rents in the area, it just didn’t seem possible. So when this opportunity came up, of course we jumped on it.”

Mendez said the new location is actually a little smaller, downsized from 620 to 410 square feet.

“We’re going to streamline our inventory,” he said. “Before, we were taking a lot of chances on unknown books and writers, and now, three years later, we have a much better idea of what our customers really want. So we’ll be trimming the fat a little bit while also trying to maintain an eye for the weird, cool and the new.” He said the shop will continue stocking zines and other locally published works.

Mendez said the owners had hoped to announce the move the evening of the shop’s third Birthday Party last weekend. “We did not announce it because we still had not heard back from the city,” he said. “We just told people thanks for coming and gave them an additional 10 percent off.

“We heard back from the city yesterday,” Mendez said, adding that they now have the certificate of occupancy and the permit. “We just have to install a bathroom door, and then we’re good.”

Mendez said the store will be open during its usual business hours until the move and that the owners expect to be closed only Monday, Nov. 20, and part of the day Tuesday, Nov. 21.

“We’re going to spend all of next week bagging and boarding up comics getting ready for the move,” he said. “We have to install a new security system, and then we’ll start moving boxes over and putting things back up. We hope to have things ready for Nov. 21, which is also a big release from DC called Doomsday Clock.”