McKinney, Texas -- There’s a certain stereotype of the local comic shop that’s repeated throughout popular media. For businesses that give so much back to the entertainment industry, shows like The Big Bang Theory oftentimes portray them as socially awkward, male-dominated spaces that are aggressively uncomfortable to visit.

In other words, they’re portrayed as the exact opposite of Carpe Diem Comics in McKinney. Husband and wife team Shannon and Melyssa Childs-Wiley, who go by ‘Shado’ and ‘Lys’ respectively, have turned their shop into a living and breathing contradiction of all of the common preconceptions about what a local comic and game store can be.

“There’s a perception, a stereotype, that comic and game stores are tiny, cramped, dark places and we want to be none of those stereotypes,” Shado Childs-Wiley said.

Their two-story store features ample lighting throughout with beautiful murals painted along the walls. Everything is neat, clean and organized. Aisles are wide and expansive by design. There’s no inching past other shoppers to grab a book or trying to climb over one another to look at different boxes of games here.

It’s all part of the approach that has made Carpe Diem Comics a popular spot for local comic and game enthusiasts.

“The local comic and game community has received us very well,” Shado Childs-Wiley said.

The couple is clearly passionate about returning the favor by cultivating a welcoming environment for local gamers and collectors to enjoy and feel a part of. That desire to create an inviting and inclusive atmosphere is part of what led them to open Carpe Diem Comics roughly 5 years ago rather than continue their careers at what Lys called their “cube farm jobs.”

The owners heavily encourage friendly competition and collaboration when gaming and pride themselves on having a community of players that will help include and teach new players.

“All are very welcoming and open and want to teach other people to enjoy it,” Lys Childs-Wiley said.

They have also taken the time and effort to incorporate a number of features in the store with inclusion in mind. That means keeping free feminine hygiene products on hand as well as fully stocked changing tables, elements which can be uncommon at stores regardless of what products they sell. It also means providing gamers with comfortable, cushioned areas to play that still allow easy access to the store’s regular products like comic books, many of which the couple note shoppers don’t have to bend down to see unlike at similar shops.

“One of our statements is that we want to be the best part of every person’s day who comes in,” Lys Childs-Wiley said.

Those elements have helped earn Carpe Diem Comics loyal customers over the years, some of whom actually helped them move to their new location. It’s part of an overall attitude that fellow local North Texas comic shops have also reciprocated.

“We were actually very surprised when we opened to find out how welcoming all the other comic and game stores in the area were,” Shado Childs-Wiley said. “I send people to other stores all the time. If I don’t have something and think they’ve got it, I’ll call them up.”

Lys Childs-Wiley explained that she even keeps a spreadsheet of what local stores are buying so she can guide potential customers to the right locations if needed.

It’s just another example of how Carpe Diem Comics is helping to lead the way in defying preconceptions about comic and game stores.

“The stereotype exists, but it shouldn’t anymore because there are more game stores and comic stores that aren’t the stereotype; I think because it’s become such a thing that people are trying to change,” Shado Childs-Wiley said.