I Think I Can Manage, Thank You is a weekly column by retailer Steven Bates, managers of Bookery Fantasy, a million dollar retail operation in Fairborn, Ohio.  This week, Bates talks about community, and its role in good retailing.  'Creatures that in communities exist' is from Wordsworth.

'Community' is defined by Websters as 'any group living in the same area or having interests, work, etc., in common' and 'sharing in common.'  It can mean a geographic place, such as a neighborhood or small town; a congregation of people sharing an ideology, such as Christians, Muslims, Republicans, Democrats, or gamers; or a state of mind, a sense of belonging to something and someplace, like New Yorkers or Texans.  We all have at least one, and many of us have multiple communities, sometimes exclusive, often overlapping.  We partly define our communities, and are in part defined by our communities.

My question to you is this: what have you done to improve your community?  President John F. Kennedy said it succinctly and best when he said 'ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country.'  Replace 'country' with 'community' and you have a smaller, more personal, more easily conquerable, challenge.  Comic books and gaming are the 'red-headed stepchildren' of the literary and entertainment worlds, perceived by the majority of the world as, at best, the hobbies of the immature and, at worst, the habits of the immoral.  So what are you doing to change those perceptions in your community?

Opportunities abound to make an impact on the public's concept of our industry.  Start small, by joining your local Chamber of Commerce and/or neighborhood business association.  Become a member of the Better Business Bureau, and proudly display your affiliation with the BBB.  These 'baby steps' will get you started on the path to legitimizing your business within the larger business community.  The general public will feel better shopping at your establishment, and you'll score points with parents, especially Mom's, who might worry about the influence you're having on Junior and Janie.

More proactive efforts will continue to enhance your image, garnering you more respect, a wider circle of referrals, and a stronger foothold on the neighborhood.  Get involved with your schools, donating time and materials for reading programs, art instruction, and offering discounts for good grades.  Participate in fund-raising efforts for the Special Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the Cancer Society, or whatever charitable organization floats your boat.  Seek out libraries and college clubs, offering them discounts and donations on hobby-specific material like manuals, modules, trade paperbacks, and cards.  Sponsor a little league or soccer team.  March in the Fourth of July, Halloween, or Christmas parades.  Be involved in the community.

Remember, you can't please all of the people all of the time.  You might decide to support a cause or a campaign that makes you popular with one group, but Salman Rushdie with another.  As long as you believe in what you're doing, I say go for it.  Our town is a suburban, semi-rural one, old-fashioned in many ways.  So when Bookery Fantasy passed out DC Comics' 'Death Talks About AIDS' mini-comics, we raised a few hackles (one woman wanted to send me to jail).  Another time, we took on an ultra-conservative group out to ban pornography, a move that alienated us from a certain portion of the population, but endeared us to a more liberal sector.  Both times we risked tarnishing our reputation with our immediate community, but followed our convictions, and saw a positive response from other groups.

Controversy all-too-often centers around comics and gaming retailers.  Whether it's religious opposition to D & D games and Harry Potter books or charges of obscene or racially slanderous comics, an industry aimed largely (at least in the public's eye) at children is nearly always under scrutiny by someone.  Writers, artists, publishers, and distributors, are all suspect, but you, the retailer, are most vulnerable, the easiest, least funded target.  But a well-respected member of the community is less likely to suffer any serious consequences when catastrophe strikes (see 'Game Retailing Nightmare').

Getting involved in your community (or communities) is more than just a good idea, it's vital to the health and well-being of your business.  It draws people from diverse backgrounds into your business, connects you with a network of potential customers you might never attract otherwise, and it builds both bridges and bulwarks, offering some protection if the worst case scenario ever drops on you like a ton of bad news bricks.  You know something else about getting involved with your community?

You just might feel good doing it.