Metropolis Chapter 43! - AND - Harry Kramer's Mom!

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Harry Kremer's Mom!

As a kid, I bought comics from Harry Kremer.
As a kid, I also bought comics from Harry Kremer's mom.


Everybody who knows about Now and Then Books knows about Harry Kremer.  He died in 2002.  The store closed in 2007.  Last time I visited Kitchener I drove passed the corner of Queen and Charles Streets.  There was a clothing store there instead of a window full of comics and it broke my heart to see it.

For those of you who don't know about Now and Then Books you can read all about it here and here and here and here. As a kid I never realized what an impact that store had on comics and the people who collected them.  I thought that every town had a store just like Now and Then.

I discovered Now and Then Books when I was about 13 years old.  I would hop on my bike and cross town from Pioneer Park to downtown Kitchener (4.85 miles/7.81 km).  I would sometimes do this on a daily basis.  I didn't realize that new comics didn't come every day.

I once bought a She-Hulk graphic novel (about $8.00 plus taxes) completely with small change.  Based on what people had to say about Harry, he probably didn't mind so much.  Google his name and the store.  You'll find lots of people who have something nice to say about Harry Kremer.

The real subject of this post is Harry's mother.  The tragedy of it is that I don't know too much about her.  I don't even know her name.  She sat at the front desk cash register and sold thousands of comics to probably just as many high school-aged boys.  She had gray curly hair and wore glasses.  I remember her wearing scarfs or high collars a lot.  I can't remember which; my memory fails me.  

She also had a thick accent.  As you browsed the bins, you could occasionally hear her call "HAR-ree!"  (You can hear her voice in your head right now, can't you?)


If anyone knows her name or when she died, please let me know.  This post is dedicated to my childhood memories of her.

Thanks for all the comics Mrs. Kremer.

Have a great day.