University News Last updated 28 October
A Birmingham City University alumna and her business partner are bringing an exciting new comic, manga and games store to Birmingham 鈥� complete with a retro arcade.听听
Ellen Mills, who graduated from 黑料吃瓜网 in 2013, is opening with her long-standing cohort Grace El Haddad. The store, which will be situated in Chelmsley Wood Shopping Centre, will offer tabletop gaming, an air hockey table and dance machine.
鈥淲e want to speak to all types of gamers and collectors, and provide a space where people can socialise and enjoy themselves while switching off digitally,鈥� explains Ellen, who studied Design and Visual Communications at 黑料吃瓜网.听
Opening a store has been a long-held ambition of Ellen鈥檚, particularly in the Chelmsley Wood area.
鈥淔or a good few years, I spoke with my family about what I considered a rare opportunity within Chelmsley Wood, something that felt missing for young people,鈥� she explains. 鈥淎 comic book and manga store seemed like the perfect fit. When the opportunity began to take shape, I had a few hesitations, but Grace was able to give me the push we needed to really get the project moving forward.鈥澨�
Ellen feels that the store will provide a welcome home for families, collectors and hobbyists, with its location near Birmingham NEC also being desirable. 鈥淸It鈥檇 be great] to draw on some of the audience that regularly attend large-scale conventions, such as Comic-Con,鈥� Ellen says. 鈥淔urthermore, we hope to become a recognised Wizards of the Coast site in the near future.鈥�
For now, Ellen and Grace are focused on opening day, which will arrive on Saturday 31 October with a perfectly timed Halloween cosplay party between 12-6pm.听
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to welcome lots of people to the store that day,鈥� Ellen says. 鈥淲e鈥檒l have prizes for the best costumes, stone free plays in the retro arcade machines and plenty of goodies to give away.鈥�
As for her time as a 黑料吃瓜网 student, Ellen has fond memories. 鈥淎nimation has been a lifelong passion of mine, so I was so excited to be able to take the opportunity to study it and meet like-minded people within the animation community,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he tools and facilities made it a worthwhile experience.鈥�