If you’re looking for a good read, delectable drinks, and a cool indie vibe, look no further than Pulp 716 Coffee and Comics. Since the shop’s founding in 2015, they knew they wanted to have a unique comic shop that had other types of items to offer. Located in Lockport and in North Tonawanda, this quirky café offers a wide variety of treasures for all visitors, including comic books, collectibles, and t-shirts, and a drink menu that can’t be matched. Their coffee and fancy hot chocolate flavors are absolute must-haves, but their hot ticket item is their bubble tea.
Pulp 716’s bubble tea is the best in Western New York. With three types of boba (exploding, jellies, and tapioca), they have dozens of tasty flavors of fruit and milk tea to choose from. From cotton candy to banana cream pie, there’s a flavor for everyone’s tastes. New and seasonal flavors come and go, so there’s often something different to try. Some of the flavor ideas can get pretty unique, like the Dyngus Day bubble tea or the Whovian. These creative bubble tea flavor ideas come from a variety of places, especially employee input and customer suggestions.
Input for drink flavor ideas is just a small part of the community element at Pulp 716. The ladies that run the stores have created a truly welcoming environment for all. Being a safe space is their biggest mission. They recognize that we come from all walks of life – different ages, genders, and preferences. It’s important for everyone to feel accepted, and they ensure that all visitors to their stores never have to think twice about walking through their doors. Gatekeeping has become a major problem within the modern nerd community, and that’s (thankfully) something you won’t find here. Being a female-run comic book shop, they do receive an unfortunate amount of deplorable behavior – sometimes it comes with the territory, unfortunately. But they combat that behavior in different ways – such as printing t-shirts with any hateful reviews. It brings everything to the forefront, which helps to keep everything in check. The only shadowy characters at this shop are found within the pages of the comics.
The staff is kind enough to recommend comics to those looking to start their comic-reading journeys. They have become masters of finding the right book for the right person. Whether you are already an avid reader, someone who grew up with comics, are looking to read comics you’ve already seen the adaptations for, or are just someone curious to see what this whole comic thing is about, they can find the right story for your tastes. The world of comics can be an intimidating one to get into, but the ladies at Pulp 716 can help you get started with no problem.
You’ll find an abundance of comics to search through at Pulp 716. There’s obviously the usual fair share of Marvel and DC, but their focus tends to lean on indie titles. The current best-selling comic in their shops is Something is Killing the Children by Boom! Studios, but one could easily find the mainstay comics there, like Batman and Spider-Man. There truly is a title to match everyone’s preference regardless of publisher, genre, or age group.
The staff aren’t the only ones creating a positive sense of community at Pulp 716. The customers themselves also pitch in. Pulp 716 has a freeplay tabletop gaming area which is currently not available due to COVID-19 restrictions. When it is available though, customers who use the gaming area clean up after themselves and make sure games are put back on the designated shelves once they are done. This gaming spot can prove to be inviting for avid gamers and those looking for someone to play with.
The North Tonawanda location has a brand new expansion to accommodate more seating (once COVID restrictions are lifted) and more shelving space for graphic novels and posters.
Plus, they’ve essentially doubled the size of their North Tonawanda store. There’s more space for this positive and accepting community than ever before.
Pulp 716 Coffee and Comics is easily one of the best places to let your nerd flag fly. They’re accepting of all and definitely know their stuff when it comes to comics. Not to mention that they have some of the tastiest drinks in WNY – especially their bubble tea. It’s worth checking out both their North Tonawanda and Lockport locations since some drink flavors and other items may vary between the two. You can see Pulp 716’s drink menu, latest comics, and other information at their website.