Happy Harbor Comics will have a new ownership and name, but the store will remain open through it all.
Current owner Jay Bardyla announced Tuesday the store would close—after nearly 20 years—in January.
On Friday, Bardyla reached a deal to sell Happy Harbor Comics to Vincent Joyall, the owner of Wonderland Games in Grande Prairie and Prince George.
“It’s been absolutely insane from announcing the decision we made to close down, within literally less than a day being made an amazing offer to continue the legacy that was built here,” Bardyla told CTV News Saturday.
Bardyla felt comfortable selling the store to Joyall after he promised things would stay much of the same.
“The story gets to continue: the customers get to be taken care, the community gets to be taken care of, the artists, the kids. Everyone gets to be taken care of; the staff gets to be taken care of,” Bardyla said.
Joyall told CTV News he’s always looked up to Bardyla and visited the store he just bought whenever he was in Edmonton.
He owns two similar stores, and even has a Wonderland Games diner—a concept he hopes to bring to his new store.
Happy Harbor Comics will be renamed Wonderland Games, but the artist residence program will be given the current store’s name.
“The fact that young, emerging talent is paid in stipends to be in the store, to create their work…it fosters so much development, so much talent,” Joyall said.
Joyall will keep the same staff, and bring in one new employee with knowledge on games, card games and collectives—all Wonderland Games staples.
