Oblivion Comics & Coffee Just Opened a Downtown Sacramento Storefront

Oblivion Comics & Coffee is a brand new shop located in the heart of downtown with an eclectic business model. In addition to an impressive comic book selection and popular action figures and posters, Oblivion serves specialty coffee from Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters along with pastries and artisan toast with vegan options.

Laura Benson and Neil Estaris, the winners of the 2016 Calling All Dreamers competition presented by the Downtown Sacramento Foundation, officially opened their 2,600-square-foot downtown storefront on Wednesday, May 10. Each year, Calling All Dreamers contestants compete for a coveted business start-up package that is designed to provide the winner with essential resources and helpful tools needed to successfully launch a downtown storefront.

Photo Courtesy of Oblivion Comics & Coffee

The idea of opening a comic-and-coffee shop was born about three years ago, when Benson and Estaris were at a local Barnes & Noble with friends.

“As usual, we went over there after dinner and kind of took over the graphic novel aisle until they closed,” Benson said. “We joked around in the parking lot about how we should just open our own comic shop so we can geek out whenever we want. Then we actually thought about it and asked the question that sparked it all. ‘Why don’t we?’”

And they did! With the help of DSF, who has been with them every step of the process, they opened their inviting, fun and eclectic shop this May. Since the day Benson and Estaris won the competition, DSF coordinated meetings, negotiated, connected them with other people and businesses, and made sure someone was always there to help them with whatever they needed to make this a successful and smooth process.

Photos Courtesy of Oblivion Comics & Coffee

The grand opening day for Oblivion was quite a success, as there were more people in attendance than expected.

“We had a mix of people we did and didn’t know,” Benson said. “We were just moved to tears from how much support was shown and how many people believed in us and our concept.”

Excitement stirred amongst the community, as a specialty coffee shop packed with comics is not something you encounter every day. There is a strong coffee culture in Sacramento already, but Oblivion provides beyond your typical coffee shop.

“Not only are coffee shops already a huge part of Sacramento, but they also create that perfect setting for talking with friends or relaxing with a book,” Benson said. “It just made sense to change it to a comic book and create a unique, geeky atmosphere.”

Photo Courtesy of Oblivion Comics & Coffee

Not only does Oblivion provide an impressive comic book selection, including Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, IDW, Image and Valiant, to name a few, they serve coffee from one of the best sources around, Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters.

“Choosing Chocolate Fish Coffee as our coffee provider was one of the easiest decisions we’ve made,” said Benson. “Not only is their coffee amazing, but Edie and Andy, the owners, were friendly and fun and we could tell right away they are just as geeky about coffee as we are about comics. Things just clicked into place and we are so grateful for their help.”

Opening a small business is no small venture — especially in a city as large as Sacramento. However, Benson and Estaris are grateful for the support they have received from the local community, which they believe has played a major role in their dream becoming a reality.

“We worked through every step of starting a business and to finally see all of our time, tears, and hard work finally come to fruition — it’s unbelievable, amazing, and surreal all at once,” said Benson. “We had strange, exciting moments when we first saw people actually browsing our comics, a small group holding a business meeting, or a local artist sipping some coffee while working on his latest sketch. To finally share Oblivion with the community is a fantastic feeling.”

Photo Courtesy of Oblivion Comics & Coffee

Check out Oblivion Comics & Coffee’s brand new location in the heart of downtown, near Golden 1 Center, the Convention Center and the Capitol.