Covert Comics (The Yellow Submarine)

Covert Comics, home to The Yellow Submarine record shop, sits at 107 South McKenzie Street in downtown Foley, right along the same stretch of storefronts that anchors the city’s historic district. What started as a comic shop tucked into the back of a record store has flipped over the years into the reverse arrangement, with a working record shop now operating inside a comic and collectibles store. The combined space gives Foley one retailer that covers vinyl, comics, trading cards, and pop culture collectibles all under a single roof.

The comic side of the business carries new single issues, back stock, graphic novels, and a subscription box service for regular customers who want new releases held for them each week. Longtime collectors will find autograph sale events and signed memorabilia mixed in with the regular new comic stock, and the shop buys, sells, and trades comics rather than only selling new inventory. That buy, sell, trade model keeps the back catalog constantly shifting, so browsing the shop on different visits tends to turn up different finds.

The Yellow Submarine portion of the store focuses on vinyl records, music memorabilia, and related collectibles, giving the shop a second identity layered on top of the comic business. Records span genres rather than sticking to one niche, and the section draws in customers who might not otherwise wander into a comic shop, widening the store’s regular customer base beyond just comic readers and collectors. Vinyl inventory turns over through both new arrivals and secondhand finds, which keeps the selection from feeling static.

Beyond comics and records, the shop stocks action figures, Funko Pops, vintage toys, and general pop culture collectibles, positioning it as a one stop shop for fans of a range of media rather than a narrowly focused specialty store. The trading card selection covers sports and gaming cards alongside comic adjacent collectibles, and staff regularly restock cases as new product arrives. For collectors chasing a specific figure or card set, the shop is worth checking on a recurring basis given how quickly select items move.

Covert Comics operates as a small, independently run business with a second location in Daphne, Alabama, a locally confined footprint rather than a national franchise. The Foley store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., giving it one of the more accessible schedules among downtown Foley’s specialty retailers. The Daphne location keeps a slightly different schedule, running Wednesday through Saturday, reflecting how the two shops operate somewhat independently of one another even under the same ownership.

The McKenzie Street storefront places Covert Comics within easy walking distance of several other downtown Foley shops, making it a natural stop for anyone spending an afternoon exploring the historic district on foot. The shop’s identity as both a comic store and a record shop means it draws two overlapping but distinct customer bases, from collectors chasing a specific back issue to music fans digging through crates for an out of print pressing.

For visitors to Foley looking for something beyond the antique malls and boutiques that dominate the shopping scene downtown, Covert Comics and The Yellow Submarine offer a genre focused alternative built around comics, music, and collectibles. The shop’s willingness to buy and trade merchandise, rather than only sell new stock, has helped it build a rotating inventory that keeps regular customers coming back to see what has changed since their last visit.

The shop also leans into its community aspect through in store events tied to new releases, autograph signings, and the kind of casual browsing culture that comic and record shops tend to cultivate. Staff who work the counter tend to know the regulars by name and can flag new arrivals likely to interest a particular collector’s taste, whether that means a specific comic run, a genre of vinyl, or a category of collectible.

Because inventory spans so many categories, first time visitors are often best served by browsing slowly rather than searching for one specific item. The comics section is organized by publisher and title, the vinyl bins are sorted loosely by genre, and the collectibles cases near the register hold higher value items that staff can pull out on request. For anyone building a comic run, a record collection, or a shelf of collectibles, Covert Comics and The Yellow Submarine give downtown Foley a specialty retailer that would otherwise require a drive to a larger city.