Downtown Comics began in the early 1990s, when founder Jason Conway started selling comics at flea markets around St. John’s. What began as a passion project soon grew into a small basement storefront on Duckworth Street, officially incorporated in 1997. A few years later, the shop moved to 141 Duckworth Street, where it has proudly remained ever since.
In December 2020, Jason passed away suddenly. In the midst of loss, his daughter Kerri Neil made the decision to take over the business. Though she didn’t come from a comics background, Kerri was deeply moved by the community her father had built - one rooted in creativity, storytelling, and connection. That community became the heart of what Downtown Comics would grow into next.
Under Kerri’s leadership, Downtown Comics has evolved into a social enterprise dedicated to supporting the comic arts community in St. John’s. The store actively supports local artists, writers, and organizers, recognizing comics not only as art, but as a powerful tool for dialogue and social change.
The store hosts regular social events such as book clubs and comic jams, and was a founding sponsor of the St. John’s Comic Arts Festival. Downtown Comics frequently donates merchandise to help raise funds for a wide range of social causes, sponsors community organizations like the Tommy Sexton Centre and Eastern Edge Art Gallery, and highlights social justice themes through its book selection. The shop also donates comics to educational programs in prisons in St. John’s and Clarenville and has served as a drop-off space for Tent City.
These commitments extend to how the business operates - socially, economically, and environmentally. Downtown Comics believes that community care must include care for the planet. The shop actively works to reduce waste by reusing incoming packing materials, minimizing single-use supplies wherever possible, and offering clean packing materials free of charge to customers and community members for reuse. By keeping materials in circulation and diverting waste from landfill, the store aims to model practical, everyday environmental responsibility. Sustainability is treated not as an add-on, but as an ongoing practice woven into daily operations and long-term decision-making.
Downtown Comics is equally committed to ethical labour practices - advocating for an increased minimum wage as a member of the Better Way Alliance and providing paid sick days to all employees. The team believes that environmental responsibility, fair labour standards, and meaningful community work are inseparable.
Downtown Comics exists to support artists, challenge systems of harm, and create space for people to gather, imagine, and build something better - together.
