Bell, Book & Comic — Local services in Dayton

On April 7, 2024, we stopped in Dayton overnight. When we travel, we always like to check out the local comic book and game stores in the area. This was our last stop of the day, and we were looking forward to visiting the "friendliest neighborhood comic and gaming store" in Dayton, per their website.

How wrong I was.

When we first walked in, we were greeted to an employee hunched over their phone, with no acknowledgment whatsoever. I went to look over the back issue of comics, but each comic box was packed so tightly it was impossible to pull the comics out without worrying about damaging them.

I then proceeded to the Magic card area, and another employee was sitting behind the counter, and once again, I did not receive any greeting from them. I did notice a MTG bundle I was interested in getting, but given my previous interactions with the two employees, I wasn't willing to drop any money at that point.

Then, a third employee walks into the store. I make eye contact with him, but then he proceeds to look me up and down, then proceed to talk to the first employee.

Three employees of the so-called friendliest comic and gaming store in Dayton did not feel the need to welcome me to their establishment, let alone ask me if I needed any help with anything.

This is not the first, nor will it be the last, time that a comic and gaming store has stepped up to the plate to offer customer service. Given we traveled from North Carolina to visit this store, you would hope that you would receive at least some semblance of customer service, but alas, that is not the case with Bell, Book and Comic.

I hope this store can take heed to my review and make improvements, because it is getting tiresome going to stores that don't greet or help...

I’m going to make this review specifically about Yu-Gi-Oh in hopes it shows up for prospective players and parents of young duelists looking to get into the game. Although there are nice players and positive movements to be experienced during their YuGiOh events, I can say this shop is the worst and most toxic YuGiOh environment I have witnessed in the Dayton area. Many times, players are rude, offensive, and even aggressive and although the shop does it’s best to ban these players there is no sign that this behavior is going to stop. There’s a reason you only see certain players at Bell Book, it’s because they are banned from one or both of the other venues. One of the most recent cases was an employee at the shop who said an offensive slur and was promptly fired and banned. However, there were signs far beforehand that he was an issue and I’ve heard from multiple people complain about him.

Case in point, I don’t think the shop is doing enough to encourage and enforce a positive environment which is obvious by the recent and ongoing incidents.

If you are looking for a place to take your children to play YuGiOh, I suggest No Limit Gaming or...

It's been a moment, but the first time I went here was for the prerelease of Journey Together (Pokémon ). It was my first time playing with others since I was a teen, and as anxious as I was, the entire staff was absolutely friendly and so welcoming as if I've been there countless times. Even after going again since then, they'll talk with you, laughing and having fun as if you're a close friend. I've met very kind people within the stores that are guests as well.

The store itself is located in a very pretty area, and I love the drive around it.

Inside, there are all kinds of amazing things that'll capture your attention! Comics, Pokémon, yugioh, MTG, and tabletop games. Including minatures and paints. DnD, and funko pops to figures. There's sooo much! They have an entire room made to play games as well.

I couldn't recommend this place enough! The worst part about it is that I'm an hour away, but it's worth the trip every time! I LOVE this store, including everyone and everything in it.

Please check this place out for yourself!

Thank you all for being so welcoming and kind. I truly wish the best for this place, and I hope to see you...