Writer/director Kevin Smith runs two comic book stores, one in his home town of Red Bank, NJ and the other in Los Angeles. Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash opened in Red Bank, NJ nearly a decade ago. Filled with comics books and memorabilia and props from Smith’s films, the location has been a local tourist attraction of sorts and is still going strong.

The Los Angeles location has had a hard time staying afloat since opening a few years ago. In 2007, the Westwood location was shut down and moved into the popular DVD store Laser Blazer. But now the economic downturn has forced Laser Blazer to shut the doors. Here is a quote from Ron, the manager of Laser Blaser on Newsaskew:

“We gave it our best shot and we’re sorry to see another great comic book shop leave L.A. It has been a pleasure taking care of all of Kevin’s fans. If you haven’t been in yet, it’s your last chance to see The Stash and say your goodbyes. All Stash merchandise will be discounted 20% until the final day.”

The final day is January 11th. Here’s hoping that the West Coast Stash finds a new home someday, although I doubt it will happen. It’s a tough market, and I don’t think Smith is interested in having a storefront without a friend in charge. Also, in LA, its hard to compete with Golden Apple or the other great comic book stores.