New chapter for Happy Harbor Comics

Happy Harbor owners, both new and old, and customers celebrated the reopening of the Edmonton comic book store as Wonderland Games on Saturday.

Saturday marked the end of one chapter and start of another for an Edmonton comic book store.

Happy Harbor Comics announced in December it would soon be closing. A short while later, a Grande Prairie comic book chain stepped in to buy the nearly 20-year-old shop.

The owners, both new and old, celebrated with customers on Saturday at an all-day party that doubled as a fundraiser for the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation.

“We're not here to tarnish something,” said new owner Vincent Joyall. “We really do see it as a passing of the torch and a responsibility. We see it as a legacy that needs to live on.”

Wonderland Games owns locations in Grande Prairie and Prince George, B.C. When the sale was announced, former owner Jay Bardyla told CTV News he was happy to see Happy Harbor’s story carry on.

“Seeing that there are people that are like, ‘Yeah, I want to keep this going, I want to be a part of it, I want to help, you know, keep everything on the shelves, I want to make sure the community is still rewarded,’ that's good,” Bardyla said on Saturday.

The Edmonton store on 104 Avenue will be renamed Wonderland Games Edmonton, but a section of the store will remained dedicated to Happy Harbor.