From humble beginnings a hero is born. The geek society is widely viewed as a group of introverts with a lack of social skills, but the owner and operator of World’s Collide, a game and comic shop in downtown Oshawa, has taken these eccentrics and turned it into a proper business.
Tim Simms has owned and operated the store for 32 years and his love for comics hasn’t changed a bit. The store also deals with games such as Magic: the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, and War Hammer, but Simms prefers to deal with the comic books side of the store.
There are two groups of employees, comics and games. “I have a few guys look after the games and I don’t really have to do much with it, which is great because I can’t micro-manage,” said Simms. The gaming employees run most of the events held at the store because they are more comfortable with what is happening and can understand the gameplay.
Simms has been involved with comics since he could read. Simms’ mother was supportive of his hobbies and bought him comics.
“I started with probably Classics Illustrated because I think that’s what my mother would have given me,” said Simms. “I latched on to mostly Marvel comics but I read any comic I could get my hands on when I was a kid.”
After graduating college Simms had trouble finding a job. When he finally gave up, after handing out more than 300 resumes, trying to support his pregnant wife seemed nearly impossible. Simms decided to start his own comic book store despite the doubts and mockery of people he knew. More than three decades later he is still working hard trying to keep the store and his dream alive.
