It's been estimated there's something like one comic shop for every 1,000 square miles in the U. S. (Not one comic shop per 1,000 miles, but you get the idea). As such, L.A. suffers from an embarrassment of riches: it's an epicenter for quality comics retailers. Within six miles, one can find Meltdown, Golden Apple, Family and Secret Headquarters. In such select company, the proprietors of Secret Headquarters, David Pifer and David Ritchie, two friends who met in high school in South Florida, conspired to distinguish their shop in regards to location, décor, events and inventory. Situated in the trendy Silver Lake neighborhood SH is framed by other indy businesses: nearby, a gelato store and a coffee shop draw foot traffic well beyond SH's 9:00 p.m. closing time.

The store features elegant appointments. According to David Pifer, "as we were coming up with the aesthetic, we visited hundreds of stores in and out of town. We found that going to Prada was going to help us learn a lot more about retail design than just looking at comic shops…" David Ritchie clarified, "We just designed a store that we wanted to go to. We present comic books the way we feel they should be represented. We treat the material with respect. The shop is clean, well lit and we feel, designed well. We had custom-made furniture to complement the hardwood floors. Designed racks that we thought would display our monthly titles well and added leather reading chairs. Those basic steps naturally lend themselves to being a lady and family friendly environment. A woman or family or someone new to comics would think twice before going in to any store that was poorly maintained, not just a comic shop." Their foresight has paid off, maintained David Pifer. "We're very happy with the percentage of women that come into the store. I wouldn't be surprised if close to half of our customers are female."

David Pifer, a veteran of 50+ jobs, handles (along with the staff) the day-to-day operations, while David Ritchie, who formerly managed a chain of skateboard shops, reported that he "come[s] in to help out here and there with the main monthly order and shop events." With the same attention to detail they exhibited with the décor, the pair plans events a year out. David Pifer was able to provide calendar entries for 2008: "Kevin Scalzo, Ryan Heshka and Phil Noto. […] We're going to do some more events with Hero Initiative and hope to add some CBLDF nights too."

Two years out of the gate, the Daves' ordering methodology is well developed. When asked about holiday retailing, which makes up a goodly percentage of the yearly profits for other types of retailers, David Pifer replied, "Since a large portion of our business comes from periodical sales, the holidays aren't the end-all be-all time of year. Most companies will come out with a few things that are timed for the holidays. Though we find that no matter what time of year it is, if there's a release that people want, they're just going to get it then and there. Rarely will people wait for the holidays." David Ritchie added, "I wouldn't say there was any kind of plan other then making sure that we are well stocked. We are a comic-book store that goes a bit outside the box when it comes to buying. If it's a book we like and think our customers might enjoy, we'll bring it in. We always have a selection of fine art and illustration books, which are not always comic book related. Two examples would be a Raymond Pettibon book and a book about S.S. Adams. Related to comics, sort of, but probably not carried in many comic-book stores."

When asked about how SH was prepared to deal with the shift that indy comics publishers are making toward less frequent, thicker-formatted works, however, David Ritchie answered "I think we naturally lean that way. We have a small comic singles wall compared to other shops and our back issues are current so we started stocking trades and collected works very heavily. Though, I hope the publishers push to follow their own weekly/monthly shipping schedules as we still function like a traditional comic book shop. Our subscribers come in every Wednesday looking for the new releases and nothing stops a book's momentum quicker then a huge shipping delay. It just slows the collected book that much more…" David Pifer expanded on this: "Something like Optic Nerve, for example, has a nice sales life as individual comic format chapters. But then the collected book appeals to a whole other group. We think that as long as the work is good, and the design is solid, the book is going to sell."

SH's stock also includes a fair amount of minicomics. David Pifer explained SH's mini selection process: "about three quarters of the time we will search out stuff. That, or we'll see something at a convention and just love it. The other quarter of the time we'll get mailed-in submissions or walk-ins. We'd love to carry more self-published stuff, but it's tough. A lot of customers want to have a previous experience, (in magazines, on the Internet, etc.) with the author or artist before they plunk down the money. But, sadly, most mini creators don't have that kind of attention."

When asked what it was like to retail in such close proximity to other comic shops, David Ritchie responded: "Traffic allows us to have our own customer base without having to feed off of each other: that being said, there are customers that shop all three stores, as well as Golden Apple. […] I think we are all very different stores with specific areas of focus." David Pifer agreed: "We're very happy to be in an area of the U.S. that has so many spectacular comic shops that have such strong identities and histories. We've developed relationships with those L.A. shops, and more, since opening. Luckily everyone has been helpful and cooperative. It really helps to keep us focused on our own style of presentation and selection." He also encourages people to "Come on by and say hello…"

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