While Pat Thompson isn’t entirely sure how he’ll spend his retirement, for now he’s focused on gratitude.
“Thank you, thank you Saskatoon. This has been truly, next to getting married, this has been the best thing I ever did,” he said.
After 25 years running 8th Street Books and Comics, Pat Thompson is ready for retirement. Friday was the 61-year-old’s last day.
“I don’t have to come into work anymore if I don’t want to, because I quit,” he said.
He’s mostly excited to bring back old hobbies.
“I haven’t been camping in years, my wife and I used to camp every chance we got and we just had to put it away,” he said.
There’s also sadness, closing such a major chapter in his life.
“It’s the hardest day I’ve had.”
His last day is emotional for him and his beloved customers who started coming in for comics on shelves, but kept returning for the man behind them.
“I just wanted to say goodbye and just give him a hug,” shopper Andrea Hudson said.
She says Saskatoon has many comic shops, but 8th Street Books and Comics feels more like family.
“We go here because of supporting Pat, because he’s not only a store owner, he’s a friend,” she said.
Staff member Stacy Simpkins has been working at the shop for 13 years and says she has taken away much more than comic book knowledge from her boss.
“There are a lot of things in my life that I know because Pat has lived through things and passed them on,” Simpkins said.
Those around him say they’ll miss his conversation and his wife’s famous homemade cookies.
