It’s safe to say that Brandon Schatz, Danica LeBlanc and Jared Henze are geeks. As lifelong lovers of comics, science fiction and Doctor Who, they’ve spent years in comic shops around the city. Brandon decided to open his own shop, Variant Edition, after working behind the counter of comic stores for more than a decade. He quickly brought in Danica for her business experience. Together, they noticed something was missing in Edmonton’s pop culture scene. “We noticed a gap in how nerdy and geeky stuff was presented,” says Brandon. “Most stores are appealing to the stereotypical nerd. We wanted to create a place where everybody feels welcome, not just those who’ve been reading the series for decades.”
Knowing they could do something different, Brandon and Danica decided that their store would offer a welcoming space for the curious and dedicated alike. Variant Edition opened in 2015. “We named ourselves after the variant covers in comics, where there’s a different cover on the same issue,” says Brandon. “We’re still a comic store but we’re different.”
