SAN MARCOS — Last week, a break-in at a San Marcos comic and game store left the small business with thousands of dollars in damages right before the holidays, but its owners are trying to stay positive despite the uncertain times.
Two individuals broke into Knowhere Games & Comics around 5 a.m. on Dec. 17, destroying the front door, two large display cases, and some merchandise. Store owner Mathias Lewis said he was alerted by his security system and saw two men on security footage smashing and kicking things in the store.
Lewis said while police responded within three minutes of being called, the suspects had left the scene when they arrived. However, their vehicle and license plate were caught on camera and are being used in the investigation.
The destroyed property costs around $10,000, but thankfully, the individuals failed to take anything of real value, despite there being high-value items in the display cases they broke, such as rare trading cards, Lewis said.
“I figured by the time I got there, they would have ran off with $5,000 dollars worth of stuff,” Lewis said. “It is sheer luck that they seemed to be completely ignorant of the industry we deal with.”
Still, the incident devastated the store, which opened in 2016. Located in Los Vallecitos Business Center, Knowhere is a hub for rare and unique comics, including comics from small-press and local authors and tabletop and card games and figurines.
It also serves as a space for folks to join and play games like Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.
After the break-in, Lewis immediately went to work cleaning up the shop with the help of a loyal customer and his business partner, Ken Slack’s father. They opened again on Wednesday, and have been working to get everything repaired.
“Thanks to a lot of hard work and those two wonderful supporting people, we were able to open up the next day. Insurance is not gonna do a lot, so we’re hoping to make up that profit,” Lewis said.
Since the break-in, Lewis said there has been an outpouring of support from customers and the community at large. Many individuals have come in to make purchases, and businesses in the community have offered to fix the glass and other broken items at reduced prices.
The response from the community has been heartwarming for Lewis. While this incident is causing hardship for the store and its staff, he said they are lucky to have such a supportive community and that not all businesses can recover from such an event.
“Little incidents like this can be the make-or-break that can kill a small business,” Lewis said. “I think we’re lucky and blessed enough with the community we have, that we’re gonna be okay.”
Giving back is a priority for Knowhere, which works with San Marcos High School to provide comics to the school’s library. The store also recently donated $2,000 worth of comic books and games to families in need during the holidays through Palomar College’s Extended Opportunities Programs and Services.
While some individuals have offered to make donations to the store in the aftermath of the break-in, Lewis is encouraging them to instead put that money toward purchasing comics from the store and donating them to local schools.
“I love this industry and I love the community, and if I can get people reading comics and playing games, and not just living on their cell phones, that’s worth it,” Lewis said.
Knowhere Games & Comics is located at 125 Vallecitos de Oro J and is open from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday and Monday and noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday (closed on Christmas).
