Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy Austin
2438 W Anderson Ln. B1 — Austin
dlair.net ✽ @dlairaustin
Year Opened — 1986
Employees — 16 employees and 2 owners
“Comics, games, cats”
What’s the story of your store’s origin?
In September of 1986, a squirrely college freshman named David Wheeler opened the door to the first Dragon's Lair. Starting out in a humble space downtown, it was one of the few places to offer a safe haven to geeks & nerds alike at the time. Over the years we've slowly moved up through Austin, inhabiting iconic spaces that our regulars use as a benchmark for when they started their journey with us.
One of my personal favorite tid-bits about our beginning is the design decision about our logo.
David says: “When we first discussed the logo, it was suggested that the dragon have a somewhat goofy face. I rejected that because I felt it should have a visage that showed that it is proud of its treasure of comics. If you observe its attitude, you will see that it projects an image that is strong and firm, and not apologetic to anyone for what it loves and protects. And though it visually safeguards its hoard, it also was meant to represent a sheltering presence for myself and for my customers, and to tell those who denigrated what we valued that we were unbowed and unapologetic.”
Angie Yackley, long time employee & manager, bought the store with her brother Jason 10 years ago. While her ownership only marks the last quarter of our store's lifetime, she has been an integral part of Dragon's Lair's legacy for over 20 years.
What makes your store special?
Dragons Lair Austin is the flag ship location for the nearly 40 year old local establishment. We pride ourselves on being community first and providing a safe & clean environment for anyone to come enjoy their hobbies. Last but not least, the true gems of our store are our current sister-duo shop cats- Brigid & Diana!
What are a few of your store’s favorite books from the past year?
Last year, indie author & artist Patrick Horvath published Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees- we as a staff lost our collective minds to this Dexter X Berenstain Bears watercolor murder mystery graphic novel that went on to have 10 reprints of its #1 issue.
