Life & Work with Troy Stegner

Today we’d like to introduce you to Troy Stegner.

Hi Troy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been hooked on comic books ever since my grandma bought me my first one while waiting in line at the grocery store. Back in those days, they used to have spinner racks near the checkout with the latest comics on them. From that point on, I asked for a comic every time we went to the store. I would read them over and over until the cover fell off.

After I joined the military, my comic collecting came to a halt. I just didn’t have time to keep up with the subscription and reading.

I attended my first SDCC on a whim in 2010. While there I picked up an Avengers vs X-men comic and my comic habit was rekindled. I noticed there was no comic book store in the town where I lived, so I took it upon myself to open one. I tried for a few years to get any promoter to start a comic con where I lived. They all told me it would never work. I don’t like being told something is impossible so I started Las Cruces Comic Con and a few years later took over El Paso Comic Con. My store, Zia Comics, and both comic cons have grown every year. I am planning on opening a second comic book store by end of this year and the comic cons are the most anticipated nerd event of the year.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not! Starting a new business always has its challenges. Just getting the word out about a new business is a vast undertaking. Zia Comics has been in business for over 10 years advertising heavily on social media and in the local community. People still come in and say they didn’t know there was a comic book store in town.

With the comic cons, there is a huge outlay of funds before the event starts. Securing the venue, staff, guests, vendors, etc all comes with a hefty price tag. If people don’t buy enough tickets to cover those costs, you can quickly go bankrupt. It takes a lot of planning and budgeting to pull off a successful comic con. It’s even harder to grow those events to be larger every year.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I run Zia Comics in Las Cruces, NM. It is a comic book and pop culture destination. I try to cover as many genres as possible in the store. I want families to come to the store and every one of them has something that interests them. If you don’t find something you enjoy in the store, let me know and I will do my best to bring it in.

There are lots of events held in stores such as Free Comic Book Day, Halloween ComicFest, Game Nights, Magic the Gathering tournaments, jigsaw puzzle tournaments, celebrity signings, and more. I strive to bring all things nerdy to this little city.

That goes for the comic cons as well. Every year we raise the bar on the level of talent brought to the events. Not everyone can afford to go to the big city cons so I try to bring a little piece of those cons here.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I love what I do. I love seeing the happiness on people’s faces when they buy that cool collectible they’ve been saving for or when they finally get to meet that celebrity they like watching in the movies or on TV. I don’t like taking no for an answer. In fact, most times someone tells me I can’t do something, I double down my efforts and find a way to make it work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ziacomics.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ziacomics
• Facebook: facebook.com/zia.comics
• Twitter: twitter.com/ziacomics
• Youtube: youtube.com/ziacomics
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/zia-comics-las-cruces?osq=zia+comics
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@ziacomics