Soundtracks and superheroes among top sellers for Belleville businesses

Batman and his web -linging counterpart Spider-Man are among the hot-selling items at Need a Hero Comics on  North Front Street. Photo by Mike Fleming, QNet News

By Mike Fleming

BELLEVILLE – With several musical movies being released this year, CD sales have picked up in Belleville just ahead of Christmas.

The soundtracks for films like Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again have become hot sellers, according to Russ McPhee, manager at Sam the Record Man in the Quinte Mall.

“A lot of it is nostalgia tie-in with Mamma Mia and Bohemian Rhapsody. People are really enjoying the older stuff, and now with a movie to go along with it, it seems to be perfect,” McPhee said, referring to the music of ABBA and Queen respectively. 

He adds that overall sales have been much better this holiday season compared to last year. 

“People seem to be spending more freely this year.”

Aaron Crossen, owner of Need A Hero Comics on North Front Street, says that two popular superheroes, Batman and Spider-Man, dominate his sales around the holidays. 

“Batman and Spider-Man are kind of comic-book staples,” Crossen said. “Whenever kids first get into comics, I find, it’s usually Spider-Man, Batman, Superman or Wonder Woman.” Reading materials are selling better this year, as opposed to action figures which sold well last year, he said. 

With the death of Stan Lee last month, QNet News asked if Marvel products had been popular this holiday season. McPhee said movies like Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther and Ant-Man and the Wasp have sold very well. 

“I had to make a big spot at the front of the store because I had so many people looking” for those movies, he said, adding that the store had to order more. 

While conversation in the store has revolved around Lee’s death, that hasn’t been reflected in sales, he said. 

“A lot of customers come in and we talk about it, but I haven’t had anyone coming in looking for Stan Lee memorabilia or signed items or anything like that.”