When the Circus Comes to Town
- jasonleewillis
- 3 hours ago
- 7 min read
Every circus needs a ringmaster, and for QuadCon Toy and Comic shows, that ringmaster is John Wells. As a child of the 70s and 80s, Wells immersed himself in the music, toys, and entertainment of the day, and now, decades later, he’s turned that passion into a thriving business that travels the midwest, bringing other vendors and creators with him. On any given weekend, a QuadCon Toy and Comic show fills the halls of malls or convention centers, bringing in crowds of collectors or purveyors of entertainment. On June 27th and 28th, QuadCon will fill the River Hills mall for its second annual show. “I would say QuadCon is an affordable alternative, family-friendly to the large convention experiences,” Wells explained. “People are just happy to go out and not have to spend a bunch of money, and they don't have to worry about paying 20 bucks to park, they don't have to worry about paying 50 bucks to get in the door, and that way they can kind of come out and have a good time, and there's no money involved.”
QuadCon is organized by John and Kim Wells, who come from the Quad Cities and applied the name to also represent the four areas of focus: toys, games, comics, and cosplay. After being that “annoying little kid” attending shows, Wells became a vendor that went to shows around the world to buy, sell, and trade comic books and vinyl records. In trying to find an economical solution for displaying his own wares, Wells ended up creating QuadCon in 2017 with a debut show of only 18 vendor tables. Today, a typical show can have well over a hundred vendors catering to a diverse range of customers.
Josh Kelley, owner of Green Fight Cards, specializes in selling Pokemon cards at QuadCon shows. His business began six years ago when selling and trading cards rekindled a love he once had for baseball and football cards. “It kind of brought back the nostalgia of it, and then kind of took off from there.” LIke many of the vendors at a QuadCon event, Kelley embraced the nomadic lifestyle of traveling from event to event. “I've been with QuadCon for about four years. John puts on a really good show. Just the people that come, they're pretty loyal to the show, so you see a lot of people every day. You know, every time you come here, you get to know people, travel with good people.It's just good for you.”
Understanding the needs of vendors has helped Wells collect an assortment of vendors worthy of a three-ring circus, but a Quad Con show offers more than just unique buying opportunities. It also allows attendees a chance to dress up as a favorite character. The term cosplay stands for costume-play, and the trend was popularized by the larger conventions like San Diego’s ComicCon, but to the layperson, cosplay is just like dressing up for Halloween. As its own unique artform, cosplay designers create costumes to replicate cherished characters or create their own character. Attendees often show up early in the day to strut around, and at a designated time, each character is introduced like a fashion show.
Micha Eldridge, whose business is Mix Media Mae Photography, takes charge of the Cosplay show while John and Kim tend to their business. “The Cosplay show is vital as it shows a range of all ages and fandoms that come together to show their passion for all these franchises. It’s a fun way for everyone to play a part in the convention.” Like Kelley, she’s become part of the QuadCon traveling show and is in her fifth year working as a photographer and Cosplay coordinator. “QuadCon is very open to all ages and all fandoms. From comics in the 70s to new cartoons of today from Youtube, all creatives and fans are able to gather for an event that is very casual. We travel and do shows at least once a month which gives those that can’t pay for a large convention ticket to still enjoy a space that showcases the same atmosphere with much more budget friend and family friendly convenience.”
As much as Wells wanted to create a fantastic experience for any attendees, he also tries to make a positive experience for his vendors, too. Rental prices or challenging geographical barriers (like hauling supplies up stairs) are two major factors in determining the location of a show. Wells also keeps costs down for his vendors by allowing word-of-mouth to bring in customers rather than an exhaustive marketing budget.
Three years into hosting QuadCons, Covid arrived and shut everything down. While it certainly broke many businesses, Wells’ business model of flexibility and fiscal priority not only helped the business survive but also thrive. “COVID shut down everything, and so me and a bunch of guys were just like this is how we pay our mortgage, and so I was the guy who said, ‘hmm, you know, we used to do shows in malls back in the 90s, why can't we do shows in the malls right now, you know, because the malls are open, so why can't we set up?’” Being flexible helped, and coming out of the pandemic, QuadCon continued to grow. “So, as of today, we're in seven different states, and we have 40 shows a year, and so I literally just emailed these people about doing another event in Overland Park, Kansas, so I'm already planning for the summer of 2027. It's definitely a full-time gig.
As the event organizers, John and Kim Wells live and breathe QuadCon. After returning home from a weekend show, the whole routine begins again. Mondays? That’s the day to catch up on emails, send out invoices for shows happening the following season, and for promoting upcoming shows on Facebook. Tuesdays are the day they take care of pricing and organizing the new inventory for their own booth. By the time Wednesday and Thursday roll around, Wells is looking at venues for future shows. While money is made organizing the shows, the reason so many vendors attend the shows is that Wells keeps the booth fees reasonable.
By Friday, the circus arrives in town. Prior to the vendors showing up enmasse from all over the midwest, Wells arrives early to speak with venue managers and security to understand the unique rules for each facility. Finding spaces for the various vendors can be a challenge. “It's a game of Tetris,” Wells admits. “If it's a new location like this past week was our first time in Lincoln, Nebraska, I make sure that I go in on Thursday night, and then I'm there early on Friday, talking to the manager and going over the entire floor plan, so that there's no issues. Friday is going in, laying out the floor, putting on the tape, making up the map, because the map is always different.” WIth a hundred vendors, Wells has a lot of needs to meet. “I can't keep track of everybody. It's always an interesting thing trying to make up the map, and you don't want to put all the Pokémon guys all together, right?”
Such an undertaking now requires more than one man to pull it off, and there are several vendors that lend a hand to manage the needs of so many individual businesses. Two such vendors are “Goat and Fizz” The couple from Peoria, along with their children, attend a majority of the shows each season and have become integral to each weekend. Whether helping with the set up, assisting the Cosplay shows, or announcing news about tear-down, they offer a lot because they receive a lot. “My wife, my children, and myself, we believe in helping and doing anything that we can as long as we're there. There's no reason not to. If it doesn't cost us anything, why can't we do it?” Goat, the semi-retired sideshow performer, was born into a literal circus and spent at renaissance festivals and carnival circuses, where he “Will do anything for a conversation.” Like many other vendors, once he discovered QuadCon, he was hooked. “To me, QuadCon is a very inclusive environment. One of my favorite things is our cosplay. And a lot of people do it ‘all judged.’ And we take pride in the fact that it is not judged. It's an opportunity for anybody with a costume and some courage to come out, express who they are, and have a chance to win. And hopefully that'll foster something in them. And then next time they can be the person that can win the judged competition.”
Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, had his Wendy, and likewise, John Wells relies on his wife Kim to be the glue that holds everything together. Her role is more than just indulging his lifetime obsession with comics and vinyl record collections; she’s had a vital role in the business since the beginning. “The reason this whole thing is successful is because of her,” Wells praised, “because I don't do well with money. And she does. If it were me, I'd have four copies of Amazing Fantasy 15, which is the first Spider-Man. And she's like, ‘No, no, no, no. We need to have a house,’ There's always a responsible partner and she's the responsible one. It's a great partnership for us. We've been married 35 years, so it's been a long, good career for the comics, but it's been an even better relationship with my wife because she's put up with all my silly ideas.”
QuadCon will be visiting the River Hills Mall on June 27th & 28th. Saturday 10-8 & Sunday 11-6.
Check out the QuadCon schedule at: Quadcitycon.com
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