You might want to take the curve in Bloomfield Avenue by Fairview a bit more slowly now: Deadpool and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle are keeping watch.
At least that’s what it looks like in the front window of Wize Guys Collectibles, a new business devoted to selling, buying and trading a wide variety of pop culture products, from action figures and memorabilia to clothing, art and an extensive array of Funko Pops products.
Wize Guys Collectibles is the first storefront business for Jesse Cohen, but he says he’s been involved with collectibles since he was a kid. He got his start on eBay, and expanded the business through participating in comics conventions around the country. (Yes, that’s Cohen with the late Stan Lee, Marvel Comics’ long-time creative icon below.)
While Cohen loves doing the comics conventions circuit, he says that he always wanted to have a store. “It’s been a dream of mine since i was a kid,” he says. “Now I have a headquarters, a place for people to shop seven days a week. I look forward to growing with the community.”
Cohen is going to kick off his involvement with the community this Thursday, December 20, with a day-long grand opening celebration. And he’s bringing in some pop culture notables to do it: Scott Schwartz, known to a generation of movie fans as Flick in “A Christmas Story” (the guy who got his tongue stuck to the frozen flagpole), will be on hand from 1 to 7 p.m., and he will be joined from 2 to 6 p.m. by Bob Camp, the animator behind The Ren & Stimpy Show.
Wize Guys Collectibles is located at 713 Bloomfield Avenue, near the intersection with Fairview. During the holidays, it will be open seven days a week: Monday to Saturday from noon to 8 p.m., and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. In the future, Cohen envisions gaming tournaments, art events and more celebrity signings. You can connect with Wize Guys through its website , Facebook or Instagram.
