SLG (that’s Slave Labor Graphics) is jumping on the publisher-goes-retail bandwagon (D&Q, FBI, PictureBox) and opening a store in beautiful downtown San Jose. The grand opening is Friday and it’s part of South First Fridays in San Jose, a big block party-type thingy, we guess.
You know about the Boutiki Grand Opening, right? We’re scrambling to get the place ready — hanging art, price-tagging merchandise, cleaning, all the fun stuff. We’re opening on Friday, December 5, and we hope that you can make it if you’re in the area. We have original art from Dork and Milk and Cheese by Evan Dorkin on display, as well as illustration and fine art pieces by artists who also do comics –James Turner, S. Eddy Bellows, Andy Ristaino, Lesley Reppeteaux, Camilla d’Errico and Evan Waldinger. We’ll be selling original works, as prints of some of the art on display. S. Eddy Bellows will be here to sign copies of his new graphic novel Lulu and Mitzy.
The Boutiki is at 577 South Market St., San Jose, California. This is the same building as the SLG offices, so if you want a tour of the very fascinating editorial and orders departments, we will show you our natural habitat. (I will probably be cleaning off my desk for the occasion.)
Is there a drive-thru?
For the record, SLG has retailed SLG merchandise and books out of their offices for, like, almost ever. And they’ve had a gallery up for several years (Swing Works, iirc). They’re pretty much just doing something they’ve always done, only now they’re giving it a name and sprucing it up and becoming “official”. So, it’s not quite really totally exactly SLG jumping on a bandwagon.
Proof that SLG has always been ahead of the curve.