Would you classify yourself as a geek or a nerd? Are you the kind of person who watches Big Bang Theory and identifies with Sheldon? (Or not only identifies with him, but remains puzzled at why his behaviour and utterances merit special treatment from the laughter track.) Then the shop Forbidden Planet, located at Eastgate in Leeds 2, adjacent to the Headrow, was probably created with your needs in mind.
Forbidden Planet in Leeds is part of a chain of stores in big cities across the country, and if you’re a sci-fi obsessive, Buffy nut or collectible figurine accumulator, then you may already have had reason to drop in and browse there.
Where Can You Buy A VCR Now?
I became familiar with Forbidden Planet back in the good old days of VCRs. (The days when you could actually buy a decent VCR for a price that didn’t make your hair stand on end… Can you tell that I’m researching hard-drive DVD recorders with Freeview and getting frustrated in my search for the perfect replacement for my dying VCR?) Back then my Buffy devotion/obsession meant that waiting for Amazon to eventually deliver the newest Joss Whedon box-set was quite horrifically unthinkable - what, three days delay?! Instead I was up at the crack of dawn, setting off to Leeds, where I would run into Forbidden Planet and grab the precious cargo, throwing banknotes at the staff in my hurry to get home and begin many hours of Buffy delight.
Buying Merchandise At Forbidden Planet
Of course Forbidden Planet don’t just stock box-sets (of the DVD variety now). Figurines, books, board games and all kinds of paraphernalia will meet your gaze as you wander through this emporium. And all of it connected to nerd delights – superheroes, supernatural fantasy, gaming, science fiction, graphic novels, comics, etc. etc. (Why do Giles figurines (from BTVS) never sell, and always wind up sad, lonely and discounted in the bargain bin? It makes me melancholy! Giles can handle himself, and a stake too! He’s a superhero!)
I have always found the staff at Leeds Forbidden Planet to be friendly and pleasant: I guess it’s in the nature of the nerd to happily connect and communicate with those who share their interests! (Now I’m sounding like David Attenborough.)
The shop itself is a touch shabby and worn, but that’s in the nature of stores that attract devoted browsers – they start to show the effects of the concentrated footfall. This branch seem to hold sales and offer discounts quite often lately, so I wonder how business is and if online sales are impacting the business model of places that cater to geek interests. (Not surprising if so: they seem to be impacting pretty much everything else, and geeks will surely shop online more than anyone else). I guess with numerous shops and their own online empire that the Forbidden Planet organisation aren’t that worried though. But I love the Leeds branch of Forbidden Planet and hope it remains to serve the needs of the Leeds geek population for many years to come.
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