Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company

It seems everywhere I turn, I keep reading about The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co – it is one of the stories of 2006. The latest linkeage came through the Laughing Squid blog through to an article by Nicholas Taylor.

Of course the real story is not just some quirky pop-nostalagia shop, it is the fact that The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co is a “front” for a very interesting and effective NGO working with child and youth writing programmes, 826NYC. As Taylor’s piece puts it,

By July, the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. was open for business, and walking inside, visitors were not disappointed. There were in fact capes and other superhero costumes; there were ropes and grappling hooks for scaling buildings; there were invisibility potions and X-ray goggles; and there were cans filled with anti-matter. But why sell superhero supplies? Is there really a market for that sort of thing? Well, the answer (and could there really be a better answer?) is that they are selling superhero supplies to support 826NYC, their non-profit writing and tutoring center, which is housed in the back of the store.

The writing center opened its doors in September 2004 to students in the area aged six to eighteen with the express goal of helping them improve their writing ability. 826NYC offers free writing workshops, publishing projects, and one-on-one drop-in tutoring Sunday through Thursday. Moreover, they host field trips for entire classes to visit the writing center for workshops on topics like storytelling or bookmaking, or for meet-the-author events where kids can ask solicit advise from published writers.

Real creativity creating both a cultural (and commercial) landmark as well as an excellent “front” for a worthwhile cause. Lots to consider and learn from.

[tags] Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co, 826NYC [/tags]