Named after the two men who initially started the store, Bill and Walt’s Hobby Shop has been in Pittsburgh since the early 1970s.
Inside lies a small pile of free comics that people can take at their leisure. The shop is prefaced by a small staircase leading down to the rest of the store. Inside are comic books, roleplaying games, card games, tabletop games, nerd culture merchandise and more. To the left-hand side, a wall of comic issues is sold for one dollar each.
The establishment has been passed around to many different people over the years and now lies in the hands of Eric Bachman, the current owner of the hobby shop. When he was a child, Bachman would buy products from the store back when it was in the hands of a previous owner.
The shop has moved location on four separate occasions since its inception. It was originally located on the corner of Smithfield Street and the Boulevard of the Allies, where it stayed for most of its existence. It then moved to Third Avenue, and after that to Fourth Avenue. It currently resides at 101 Smithfield St.
According to Bachman he has owned the shop for, “about 10 years, or more then 10 years at this point.”
The relocations were largely motivated by financial constraints.
The most recent move from Fourth Avenue to 101 Smithfield Street happened because at the previous location, “The rent was way up, astronomically,” Bachman said. “That was the only reason.”
Although he enjoys the current location, he said there are some major downsides. Due to the limited space in comparison to the previous store, it is a tight fit. Also, the location is not widely known and therefore attracts fewer customers.
Bachman claims that one of his customers found the new location for him when he was struggling to pay the increased rent prices of the previous location. Currently, he says he is happy with the arrangement with his new landlords. “Best landlords I’ve ever had.” he said, “They really treat me well.”
The store shares a building with the Chiurazzi Law Group who occupy the upstairs. The store’s current location was previously used as basement storage for the law firm.
Alongside selling comics from major publishers like Marvel Comics and DC Comics, there is also a box full of comic books from local talent in the Pittsburgh area. One notable example is GRIXLY COMICS, a comics series created by Nate McDonough.
Bachman says running the business has had its ups and downs. “The comic business and the game business, man, they’ve had some rough times. Gaming,” referring to tabletop gaming specifically, “has gotten super popular, but that’s not good for us small stores because everybody is buying their crap online and a lot of times below what my cost is.” He also claims a similar dynamic has played out in the comic book industry.
Currently, Bachman is the only person working at the hobby shop and he said he hopes to continue working there until he physically can’t anymore.
