Hailstorm Vintage to open in Waynesville with nostalgic vibe — and plenty of comic books

A grand opening is planned for Nov. 1.

Hailstorm Vintage, a comic book, vintage clothing and collectible store on South Main Street in Waynesville, is celebrating its grand opening on Nov. 1.

“This is Waynesville’s first comic book shop,” said Haylie Handorf, who owns the business with her husband, Bryson Handorf. “We’re really excited to have that be our identity because his passion is the comic books, and my passion’s the vintage.”

Hailstorm Vintage, a comic book, vintage clothing and collectible store at 98 S. Main St. in Waynesville, is celebrating its grand opening on Nov. 1. NATALIE JONES/STAFF

Credit: Natalie Jones

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Credit: Natalie Jones

“A lot of people who come in here liking music will also like anything that coincides with it like a band Tee, or maybe just a cool comic book from the same era,” Bryson Handorf said.

Hailstorm Vintage features two floors of collectibles. From comic books, VHS tapes, records and toys to men’s and women’s vintage clothing, jewelry, purses, shoes and belts, customers can find a little bit of everything.

A love for anything vintage

“I grew up going to garage sales and thrift stores with my grandma,” Haylie Handorf said. “I would want to go to the mall, but we just couldn’t.”

They would spend all summer finding her clothes for the next school year.

“I was hunting for what the girls were going to be wearing,” Haylie Handorf said. “What was in (and) what was trendy, I would find it.”

Hailstorm Vintage, a comic book, vintage clothing and collectible store at 98 S. Main St. in Waynesville, is celebrating its grand opening on Nov. 1. NATALIE JONES/STAFF

Credit: Natalie Jones

icon to expand image

Credit: Natalie Jones

She recalled being “so embarrassed to tell people” where her clothes came from at that time because she wanted others to think she paid big money for them.

“And then it became a trend,” Haylie Handorf said. “I went to this vintage event, and it was a dream come true — seeing my passion be a business and presented to me in a cool way."

In 2019, the couple started selling men’s clothing and vintage toys at Ohio Vintage Fest.

From sneakers to comic books

Bryson has always been a collector of sneakers. He sold items on whatnot, a live auction app.

He recalled going to The Great Ohio Toy Show looking for anything “H.R. Pufnstuf” because he has the “Puff N Stuff” sneakers. Instead of finding anything related to the cartoon, he ended up buying Haylie a comic book that was related to a movie they had watched.

Hailstorm Vintage, a comic book, vintage clothing and collectible store at 98 S. Main St. in Waynesville, is celebrating its grand opening on Nov. 1. NATALIE JONES/STAFF

Credit: Natalie Jones

icon to expand image

Credit: Natalie Jones

He found a few more comic books at the toy show and ended up going to a local comic book store the next week.

“It was game over from there,” Bryson Handorf said. “We have always bought comic books that we like, and then it just oddly enough turned into this.”

He credits Haylie Handorf for buying their first comic book. It was an Archie comic book.

Comic books are making a comeback

The couple loves the art in the older comic books.

“It just takes you back in time in a sense because everything is so different than what it used to be — especially how the comics were put together, how the stories were made, the artists, the characters, the villains, everything," Bryson said.

Hailstorm Vintage, a comic book, vintage clothing and collectible store at 98 S. Main St. in Waynesville, is celebrating its grand opening on Nov. 1. NATALIE JONES/STAFF

Credit: Natalie Jones

icon to expand image

Credit: Natalie Jones

He enjoys reading them and finding out where some of his favorite shows as a kid originated.

“I grew up watching Scooby Doo,” Bryson Handorf said. “I had no idea it all started as a comic book.”

The couple is expecting comic books to become more popular with the mention of them in new movies. They have started to see more stores stocking modern-day comics

Hailstorm Vintage does buy, sell and keep modern-day comic books, but the vintage ones are their favorites.

“I feel like we’re going to definitely bring something to the city that’s not been seen, especially at this scale,” Bryson said.

The shop started in an 8-by-10 space upstairs

Haylie Handorf said it has been their dream to open a comic book shop.

“I know the vintage clothing and stuff is trendy, and I know that it’s always going to have value, but comic books is going to be our longevity,” Haylie Handorf said.

She admitted that the shop happened earlier than expected.

Hailstorm Vintage, a comic book, vintage clothing and collectible store at 98 S. Main St. in Waynesville, is celebrating its grand opening on Nov. 1. NATALIE JONES/STAFF

Credit: Natalie Jones

icon to expand image

Credit: Natalie Jones

They were previously a vendor at Petal Vintage, which was once located at 98 S. Main St., where their shop is at now. They had an 8-by-10 space upstairs carrying similar items.

“We did amazing here. We had the best sales,” Haylie Handorf said. “It was so different than what everybody else had.”

When Nine 22 Mercantile took over the space, Hailstorm Vintage left and got a booth at Heart of Ohio in Springfield.

A little over a month ago, the owner of Nine 22 Mercantile asked if they were interested in taking over half of the building and they didn’t think twice.

Calling Waynesville home

When the couple started Hailstorm Vintage, they were doing it part-time. Now, it’s their full-time job.

Haylie was most recently a nanny in Oakwood. Bryson Handorf was working for his dad’s company doing PPF (paint protection film) and ceramic coatings on new and used cars.

“My plans were to always grow up and take his (business) over,” Bryson said. “All of this really just came so naturally and out of left field.”

They are both graduates of Greeneview High School in Jamestown. Haylie graduated in 2017 and Bryson graduated in 2016. They are high school sweethearts.

Haylie said she never really came to Waynesville growing up, but once they were a vendor at Petal Vintage, they were here all the time.

“I feel like it’s our home,” Haylie Handorf said. “Its small town charm reminds me of home because Jamestown was so tiny. Everybody is so supportive and it’s definitely (a) community.”

Sustainability and affordability is key

For those thinking about thrifting or collecting vintage items, their advice is to “just do it.”

“Don’t care what anybody thinks,” Haylie Handorf said. “If you love it enough, it will guide you itself.”

“And there’s definitely enough out there for everybody,” Bryson Handorf added.

He thinks vintage is trending because it’s a sense of sustainability and affordability.

“For us to go out and source true vintage and be able to offer it for much less than what things are going for today, I think it’s really, really nice,” Bryson Handorf said.

“There’s also something so special about our childhood that we want to keep alive,” Haylie Handorf said.

She said many people collect items from their childhood because it allows them to relive special moments.

“They want to take a piece of their childhood home with them that their parents might not have saved for them,” Haylie Handorf said.

Where to find the best vintage items

Their favorite places to find vintage items is at estate sales, the Springfield Antique Extravaganza and Valley Thrift in Dayton.

“A lot of people underestimate (Valley Thrift) because they say that it’s expensive, but they have the best finds,” Haylie Handorf said. “They restock constantly. That’s the main goal.”

She said Mondays are half-off and many of the store’s items become discounted the longer they stay on the floor.

Right now, they’re seeing a demand for western and denim clothing. They are also seeing a lot of people upcycling — taking something they find and transforming it.

Estate sales are one of their favorite places to find items because “it really makes us feel good when we can go in there and get a few trash bags of stuff that we’re going to save,” Bryson Handorf said. “I feel like we’re saving a lot of things from going to the landfill.”


MORE DETAILS

Hailstorm Vintage will be open noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. They do buy, sell and trade.

The store’s grand opening event will feature raffles, giveaways, snacks and beverages.

For more information, visit hailstormvintage.com or Hailstorm Vintage’s Facebook or Instagram (@hailstormvintage_) pages.

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