Today we’d like to introduce you to Glynnes Pruett.
Glynnes, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was nearing my 25th birthday, I decided that I needed to do something substantial with my life; I needed to make a big decision and pick a direction. It was between going away to Africa to work with lions and conservation and use my recent animal science background to help save endangered animals, or to do something more solidified – something that made me plant my feet. There’s nothing in the world that will make you plant your feet more than opening up a business. It’s essentially like having a baby. It changes your whole life – no matter how prepared you think you are for it, you’re not.
I had done a myriad of different jobs, all over the spectrum of my abilities, and I had always found that I would reach the maximum potential of that job and get bored. So I wanted to create a job for myself that didn’t have a cap. I could constantly be improving and bettering not only the business, but also myself. Challenging myself and creating new opportunities for me to showcase the knowledge I’ve gained from everything I’ve done. In building the Hideout, I wanted to create a space where I could do that for myself – it would never really be finished. And it isn’t. The Hideout is a living, growing thing. It’s constantly improving and developing and changing, but there’s consistency and stability in that. And that’s what I needed – and I feel like it’s what a lot of people need, and I hope to provide that in my store. Something new and different that’s constantly evolving but is also stable and comfortable.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Everyone loves the idea of being your own boss, but I feel like that’s actually the single hardest thing to do in owning a business. Holding yourself accountable. The thing that I wanted the most was to not have a cap – to have a ‘the sky’s the limit’ attitude. But that’s also the most challenging thing about it. You don’t have anyone else to tell you how to do your job; you have to make it up for yourself. And you have to make it up for other people – creating a structure for employees. Having employees and creating accountability in others is difficult. It’s not the same as managing a retail store, as I’ve done before, where you have a set of guidelines you need to accomplish and standards to adhere to. But when you’re your own boss, you have to make all those up. And it’s much harder than it seems.
Please tell us about Comic Book Hideout.
I opened Comic Book Hideout in Downtown Fullerton in 2012, since then we’ve been ranked “Best Comic Book Store in Orange County” by several different publications for the last 4 years in a row.
When I say that I sell comic books, magic cards and happiness, I absolutely mean that. I adore my customers, and enjoy bringing them happiness through comic books, whether it’s nostalgia or camaraderie or art or high concept kind of stuff like philosophy and writing and the way of the world, I really, genuinely believe that the happiness people can get through this art form is how I get the most satisfaction from my job. My favorite thing is when kids will come in and say things like “oh my gosh, mom, this is the coolest place ever! I wish I could live here!” It just tickles me, and I find that that is what I’m doing all this hard work for and what sets my store apart from other stores. We at the Hideout are legitimately here to make your day better and find something that you will like.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Some of my favorite memories are of my brothers and sisters and I playing in the back yard of my childhood home. We had built a tree house, which was essentially just a raised wooden platform with a tiny fence around it, leaning next to a tree. We would spend hours in the back yard, playing, singing, reading comics and listening to oldies on a crappy boombox faced out our bedroom window. We were always encouraged to use our imaginations and frequently played house, made up sports like lemon ball, pretended to be spies and most often, superheroes. Playing in my backyard with my siblings gave us all an outlet and an opportunity to be silly, inquisitive, and independent. Which I think was a major contributor to our developing personalities. Now grown, I am the eldest of 6 very artistic Pruetts, and still like to play pretend as often as I can.
Contact Info:
- Address: 215 W. Commonwealth Ave. Fullerton, CA 92832
- Website: www.comicbookhideout.com
- Phone: 657-217-0624
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @ComicBookHideout
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ComicBookHideout
- Twitter: @CBHideout
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/comic-book-hideout-Fullerton-3
- Other: snap chat: @ComicHideout
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