Record Selling at Pitkämies

In January Pitkämies is having a beyond crazy record sales. We are trying to get rid of ALL records from the store. So it's your chance to pick some cool records for ultracool prices.

We are doing the UFF style discount: every day the discount on ALL records gets higher and higher. However, we have for some items only 1 copy, so it might not always be wise to wait until the last minute.

This means the end of the record selling business of Ifsociety. The label will continue to exist by releasing a couple of select records per year. This also means the end of the co-operation between Pitkämies and Ifsociety. It really pains me that it has gone this way. I personally thought we stocked a pretty neat collection of cool records in the store. We had a really good thing going for a while, a well catered selection of cheapo classics on cd, punk and indie milestones on vinyl and all the latest releases from the finnish quality labels at competitive prices. But the decision to pull the plug on the record pushin business lays in the hands of Tommi and Mikko. And i completely understand them. Lately with music sales dropping everywhere (to give an example, the overall sales in music in Finland has dropped 25% in 2008 compared to the previous year!), it just didn't make anymore sense in pouring money in a loss making business. The profit margin Ifsociety had on selling records at Pitkämies was already quite slim to begin with. In the end why put all this effort in keeping up a record selection if the only people who benefit from it is everybody besides yourself?

I talked to Mikko and Tommi about this and i felt that both of them are just releaved to get rid of the burdon of this extracurrical activity and being finally able to focus again on the things they started Ifsociety in the first place: releasing a few records a year and doing that with all your heart and strength you can muster.


However, this doesn't mean the end of musicrecords at Pitkämies. I stubbornly continue spreading the gospel of fine music. The selection of records will be a lot smaller then what we have but there will still be plenty of reasons to come and check out the the music department at Pitkämies:

1) Pitkämies will have ALL the releases of ALL quality finnish record labels at affordable prices (read: cheaper then äx, stupido or cdon.com). Here's the list of labels so far: Ektro, Helmi, Fonal, Ifsociety, Verdura,...
2)I will get a weekly shipment of hot new vinyls. Beware that i will order only small amounts of each items and that they go fast. It might not be a bad idea to stop by often, say every saturday, and make sure you can get that Dirtbombs lp for dirtcheap. I am not going to restrict myself to a particular niche of records (not that Ifsociety ever did that!), I am just going to order records that i want. Maybe next week i'll want to have the new Field Music on double vinyl but the week after i may go all out and order a great selection of 60s French pop and Yé-Yé from Jacques Dutronc to Serge Gainsbourg
3)As of principle i wholly support all diy and selfpublished releases. Anybody who has released their own record can be assured of a spot in the Pitkämies record shelves. Cd-rs, tapes, 7"s: i dig it all. So you know, the new Dinosauruxia is already here.


I know Pitkämies will never be able to compete with Levykauppa Äx, because that's just a great record store with a huge selection. Instead i want to make the recordselection an exciting addition to the comics i am selling. You will stumble across some weird records maybe but you can be assured that all records will have the personal approval of Pitkämies himself. Also, I am not aware of everything that happens in the music scene, so I am open to all suggestions and I will do my best to provide a good service for my music loving pals (customers). Any music made with heart and soul is welcome at the store!



Lastly, I want to send out a sincere thanks to Tommi and Mikko who have helped me and the store in so many ways i will never be able to express my gratitude fully.


So thanks dudes, it was a fun ride while it lasted!

Best selling comics at Pitkämies september 09

1. Löydät minut tästä kaupungista (Mari Ahokoivu)
2. Naaburger (Aapo Rapi)
3. You shall die by your own evil creation (Fletcher Hanks)
4. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen III: Century 1 (Alan Moore, Kevin O'Neil)
5. Taksi Kurdistaniin (Aino Sutinen)
6. Shenzhen (Guy Delisle)
7. Brinkley Girls (Nell Brinkley)
8. Baarien Nainen (Jupu)
9. Samuelin Matkassa (Tommi Musturi)
10. Borgtron 10 (Jyrki Nissinen)
11. Bar Miki (Michelangelo Setola)
12. Tuuli ja Myrsky (Tiitu)
13. Huuhkaja: kuin noidat yössä (Yann)
14. Savage Sword of Conan: volume 1 (Steve Buscema and others)
15. Gigantic Robot (Tom Gauld)
16. Circus Femme Fatale (Emmi Valve)
17. Äitienpäivä (Amanda Vähämäki)
18. Maalaispunkin Päiväkirja (Pauli Kallio)
19. Teratoid Heights (Mat Brinkman)
20. Apocalypse Nerd (Peter Bagge)


Comments

Well, since there was the comic festival i took this time a top 20 of best selling comics. The number one spot is a shared one between Mari's new book and Aapo's Naaburger. They sold an equal amount of copies. I let Mari keep the number one spot because of alfabetical order, plus i know she will promote this blog post on her facebook status report. On the other hand, the best selling item by far was the fabulous Pitkämies shopping bag but i left it out of the list since it is not a comic.

I am also happy to see the Brinkley Girls there, that's an absolutely stunning book that everybody is wanting to have. And also very happy to see that my customers keep appreciating cult classics such as Mat Brinkman's Teratoid Heights. (Which reminds me, i saw it for sale on amazon for 162 dollars... mmmm maybe i should up my price a bit...?)


Here's a top 6 of best selling items from the music department: Le Corpse Mince de Francoise is now extra hot since they use the tune for the finnish version of Project Runway (Muodin Huipulle), which is ofcourse a MUST SEE tv program

Music Sales

1. Mutiny#13 (zine)
2. Joose Keskitalo Kolmas Maailmanpalo (cd)
3. Le Corps Mince de Francoise: Ray Ban glasses (lp)
4. Keränen: Green Car Crash (Casette)
5. Band of Horses: Cease to begin (lp)
6. Joose Keskitalo: tule minun luokse, kulta (cd)

Rent Kramer's Ergot 7

People have probably seen the fabulous Kramer's Ergot 7 anthology in my store. I bet you have even browsed through it. If you don't recall the book in question, here's a reminder for you



So you see, this baby is a monster. It's huge. In fact, it's so big that most people are put off from buying. "I don' t have a bookshelf that's big enough for it" is the most common reply i get when i show the book to people.


But now Pitkämies has come up with the best solution for all you people who want to read and absorb the book. Just rent it from me!

Yes, just borrow Kramer's Ergot from Pitkämies just like it's a library here. I have borrowed an old scheme a friend of mine once came up with, which i think will work perfectly here.


Renting the Kramer's Ergot costs 5 euros per month. The way it works is very simple: you come to the store and say you want to borrow the book. You give me your name and emailaddress plus one hundred euros. Then you can take the book with you to read at home. After one month you come back with the book and i return to you 95 euros. Et voila we are done.

The next person can then borrow the book with a deposit of 95 euros. This way the price of the book gets lower and lower each time somebody borrows it. If you feel like keeping the book to yourself and not return it, no problem! You have already paid for it in a way!

If you live outside Helsinki or cannot make it to the store but want to reserve it, please order it from me here and mention it on the comment section when you can come and pick it up

Top selling comics at Pitkämies June 09

1. Jeff Lint: The Caterer
2. Ville Pirinen: Yhesti yhes paikas
3. Ville Ranta: Eräänlaisia Rukouksia
4. Marko Turunen: Ufoja Lahdessa 3
5. Alan Moore: League of extraordinary gentlemen III: Century 1
6. Emmi Valve: Femme Fatale
7 Mitch Clem: Nothing Nice to say
8. Derf: Punkrock and trailerparks
9. Florent Ruppert ja Jerome Mulot: Uhkapeliä
10. Lilli Carré: Nine ways to disappear

Kuningas Toffee

Here's a snoop for you all: Kuningas Toffee will be transformed into a theatre play!

I don't know anything about the specifics but here's what i have heard so far (from a reliable source, namely Aapo Rapi himself): Kellariteatteri will perform the play based on the Kuningas Toffee comic some time in the fall. It is not yet on their website but apparently the screenplay is already finished.

The story will also unfold in the same way as the revamped comic: two characters will unearth the ancient scrolls that tell the tale of the cruel sugartooth King Toffee. When they read the content of the scrolls, it will be shown on stage whilest the two narrative characters will comment the events and acting.

This sounds like a pretty nice excuse to finally go to the theatre for me and i am hoping the same for all of you!


edit: Aapo just finished his Kuningas Toffee shirt, he printed it himself, so that means there is only a limited amount available...

Best selling comics at Pitkämies in May 2009

1. Aikakauslehti 2
2. Jupu: Baarien Nainen
3. Ville Pirinen: Yhesti yhes paikas
4. Jeff Lint: The caterer
5. Derf: Punkrock and trailerparks
6. Roju: Huonoa seksia
7. Folman/Polonsky: Waltz with Bashir
8. Alan Moore: League of Extraordinary gentlemen III: The century
9. Lynda Barry: What it is
10. Jeffrey Brown: Funny Misshapen body
11. Pertti Jarla: Fingerpori 2
12. Karstein Volle: 100 tosiasiaa maailmailta


note: this goes to show how erratic sales at Pitkämies are: only two titles are two months in a row in the top "ten"list: Ville Pirinen and Karstein Volle....

Best selling comics at Pitkämies in April 2009

1. Ville Ranta: Eräänlaisia rukouksia
2. Ville Pirinen: Yhesti yhes paikas
3. Alan Moore: The watchmen
4. Ruppert/Mulot: Uhkapeliä
5. Jeffrey Brown: Cat getting out of a bag and other observations
6. Lilli Carré: The lagoon
7. GlömpX
8. Yong-Deuk Kwon: Yölinja
9. Kaija Papu: Totally Sweet Love Awesomeness
10. Karstein Volle: 100 tosiasiaa maailmalta

Sarjakuvakeskus received the Unelmien Helsinki award!

Awesome news: Sarjakuvakeskus (which consists of Pitkämies, Kuti Kuti and the Finnish Comics Society) received the yearly Unelmien Helsinki award which is organised by Radio Helsinki and Nyt-liite. Here's what they say:

"Tänä vuonna Unelmien Helsinki -palkinnon saa Kalliossa sijaitseva Sarjakuvakeskus, jossa toimivat Suomen Sarjakuvaseura ja levy- ja vaatekauppa Pitkämies. Kolmannen linjan on kulttuurikeskuksessa järjestetään muun muassa sarjakuvanäyttelyitä ja -työpajoja. ”Paikka on saanut Helsinki-vihani laantumaan edes hieman”, totesi palkintoa ehdottanut kaupunkilainen. ”Liike tarjoaa kalliolaisille kauan kaivatun olohuoneen, jossa voi viettää aikaa kuluttamatta rahaa tai miettimättä, uskaltaako sinne otta lapset mukaan. Liikkeeseen ovat kaikki tervetulleita eikä siellä viihtyäkseen tarvitse kuulua sisäpiiriin.”


Together with the Fingerpori exhibition, this will surely bring some new people to Pitkämies!
Also, i am already gloating so i can say at the award: "It would be nice to get you lazy "Punavuorelaisia" to Kallio now and then, it's not such a big distance"

Because i have noticed that basically all people who visit the store live around Kallio. I haven't seen too many Radio Helsinki journalist coming over, to be honest. Maybe it's time to change that attitude!

For the rest, it's all awesome ofcourse


edit: here's a pic of the award. A video later

Pitkämies featured in Voima lehti

To be more precise: in this article








If there's any questions about the sweater: i bought it at a fleamarket in Estonia about 5 years ago during what was probably the coldest holiday i ever had. -30 degrees for over a week, and then taking a boat through the frozen seas to some Estonian islands. Best vacation ever!

Top hundred best selling at Pitkämies this year

1. Nissinen, Jyrki: Kaikki vierailuni Italialaisessa kodissa
2. Nissinen, Jyrki: Borgtron 08
3. Sailamaa, Anna: Ollaan nätisti
4. Laitinen, Karri: Kafkan Tutti
5. Hanks, Fletcher: I shall destroy all civilised planets
6. Tiitu: Jää
7. Nissinen, Jyrki: Yli 10 000 Koiran Koiranäyttely
8. Rapi, Aapo: Meti
9. Burns, Charles: Black Hole
10. Miller, Frank: Yön ritari
11. Rapi, Aapo: Kuningas Toffee
12. Schrauwen, Olivier: Poika Kulta
13. Brown, Jeffrey: Haparointia
14. Nissinen, Jyrki: Borgtron 9
15. Vähämäki, Amanda: Äitienpäivä
16. Delisle, Guy: Shenzhen
17. Ranta, Ville: Kajaani
18. Satrapi, Marjane: Embroideries
19. Delisle, Guy: Merkintöjä Burmasta
20. Jodorowsky & Moebius: Incal
21. Nissinen, Jyrki: Nuolee kuin eläin sipsiä
22. Tukiainen, Katja: Rusina
23. Turunen, Marko: Ufoja Lahdessa
24. Ware, Chris: Acme Novelty Library 18
25. Ware, Chris: Jimmy Corrigan, the smartest kid on earth
26. Bergman, Benjamin: Troll on
27. Latva-Nikkola, Jarno: Tunteiden Maisteri
28. Mordan, Rutu: Exit wounds
29. Bagge, Pete: Buddy does Seattle
30. Canales, Diaz: Blacksad 2
31. Carré. Lilli: Korpi-Peten kootut
32. Harkham, Sammy: Crickets 2
33. Magnolia, Mike: Hellboy, pimeyden kutsu
34. Nissinen, Jyrki: Borgtron 03
35. Nissinen, Jyrki: Kiimaiset maantiesuolan imeskelijät
36. Lutes, Jason: Berlin book two, city of smoke
37. Rapia, Kati: Miracle Baby
38. Clowes, Daniel: Ghostworld
39. Florent Ruppert/ Jérôme Mulot: Apinatarha
40. Jason: I killed Adolf Hitler
41. Prince, Liz: Will you still love me if i wet the bed?
42. Thompson, Craig: Blankets
43. Tomine, Adrian: Shortcomings
44. Brinkman, Matt: Teratoid Heights
45. Brown, Jeffrey: Be a man
46. Delisle, Guy: Pyong Yang, a journey through North Korea. Paperback
47. Harkham, Sammy: Crickets 1
48. Jansson, Tove: Moomin, the complete Tove Jansson strip, volume 1
49. King Nosmo: Kulttuurilehti Esteban
50. Moore, Alan: The Watchmen
51. Nilsen, Anders: Dogs and water
52. Bagge, Pete: Hate annual 07
53. Brown, Jeffrey: Every girl is the end of the world to me
54. Canales, Diaz: Blacksad 1
55. Carré. Lilli: Dorado Park
56. Clowes, Daniel: Caricature
57. Gauld, Tom: Three Very Small Comics volume II
58. Gauld, Tom: Three Very Small Comics volume III
59. Koljonen, Hanna: Nirvana
60. Martin, Jacques: Alix: Spartacuksen poika
61. Moore, Alan: From Hell
62. Rope, Jenni: Wednesday
63. Satrapi, Marjane: Persepolis boxed set
64. Thompson, Craig: Carnet de voyage
65. Vähämäki, Amanda: Souvlaki Circus
66. Bagge, Pete: Buddy does Jersey
67. Bagge, Pete: Hate annual 06
68. Barry, Lynda: What it is
69. Brown, Jeffrey: I am going to be small
70. Brown, Jeffrey: Unlikely
71. Clowes, Daniel: David Boring
72. Cotter, Joshua: Skyscrapers of the midwest
73. Gauld, Tom: Robots, Monsters etc
74. Hayashi, Seiichi: Red Colored Elegy
75. Miller, Frank: Sin City
76. Oliba, Tsugumi & Obata, Takeshi: Death Note 01
77. Rapi, Aapo: Kelomökien mies
78. Schrauwen, Olivier: My Boy
79. Turunen, Marko: Lihat puntarissa
80. Yokoyama, Yuichi: New Engineering
81. B., David: Epileptic
82. Bagge, Pete: Hate annual 04
83. Bagge, Pete: Hate annual 1
84. Bechdel, Allison: Fun Home
85. Brown, Chester: I never liked you
86. Brown, Jeffrey: Any easy intimacy (AEIOU)
87. Burns, Charles: Big Baby
88. Clowes, Daniel: Ice Haven
89. Cole, Allison: Never Ending Summer
90. Gauld, Tom: Hunter and Painter
91. Glömp: Glömp 9
92. Hanawa, Kazuichi: Doing Time
93. Jacobs, Edgar: Blake and Mortimer: Mystery of the great pyramid 1
94. Lutes, Jason: Berliini
95. Nilsen, Anders: Monologues for the coming plague
96. Nilsen, Anders: Sisyfos
97. Nissinen, Jyrki: Yli 10000 koiran koiranättely
98. Rall, Ted: To Afghanistan and back
99. Ranta, Ville: Isi on vähän väsynyt
100. Ranta, Ville: Sade
101. Tatsumi, Yoshihiro: Goodbye
102. Tatsumi, Yoshihiro: The Pushman and other stories
103. Tikkanen, Petteri: Kanerva ja yks juttu
104. Tolppanen, Petri & Kaakinen, Jussi: Sarasvatin hiekaa
105. Turunen, Marko: Supernormal
106. V/A: Japan


as a first immediate comment: that's a lot of Jyrki Nissinen!