Pop-culture fans seek treasures at convention in downtown Johnstown
May 29—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Areas residents perused the wares of artists, vendors and others at the first Johnstown Pop and Comic-con at Weebs in the Woods in downtown Johnstown from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
"Johnstown really needs something like this," store co-owner Steve Anna said.
From T-shirts to collectibles and everything in between, there was something for everyone at the show.
The store, located at 225 Franklin St., has been in operation since the beginning of the year and caters to those interested in board games, trading cards and other pop-culture-related genres.
Brandon Shifflett said he thinks the event fills a need in the community.
The Davidsville man is a regular at the Weebs shop and appreciates the diverse offerings.
"It's just a super-nice place to come to and just hang out," Shifflett said.
He added that he loves seeing pop-culture promoted and wants the owners, such as Eric Alexander, to succeed.
Alexander roamed the shop floors on Saturday occasionally conversing with vendors and guests.
"We're trying to dip our toes," the co-owner said.
If all goes well, he and Anna want to build onto the convention and make it bigger while also organizing similar events.
"We've got a whole bunch of things in the works," Alexander said.
Anna agreed, stating that the event was a test run to gauge attendance and to see how many vendors could set up booths.
That's why the convention was free.
"We're just seeing what we can make of it," Anna said.
The businessmen were expecting a good turnout.
Ed and Michele Maculewicz attended together.
"We're just out enjoying the event," Ed Maculewicz said.
His wife added that her husband loves comics and was excited to attend.
The pair spent some time at artist Koa Beam's booth flipping through his sketch book.
They said he's a favorite artists of their's.
Beam, who regularly has booths at similar events, was happy to set up at the convention.
"I hope that the Johnstown Pop and Comic-con is a good one and I hope they have more in the future," he said.
Stacy, 9, and Matt Wilson, 14, agreed.
They said they loved the space in the store and were looking forward to exploring the event, although they didn't know what to expect.
