It is a comic book store. A rare breed of retail thrice over. For one they deal in books, a dying…read moremedium, and then it is niche books, and finally not owned by a giant corporation which let's be frank, you need to be to survive in this world at times. So..... run on sentence out of the way now, Nuclear comics is pretty awesome in case you were still wondering. It is definitely more comics focused, eschewing a hybrid approach of gaming, comics and all things geek under one retail roof. They have a great collection. You walk in and it's shelves stacked! The staff member there was awesome. We chatted a bit, he made some recs, was awesome to my kids (teens) and just generally the kind of person you want at any establishment. A very easy 5 stars from me :)

I saw them make comments online on how they don't care about scamming kids because it makes them…read moremoney. In there own words "Look kiddo, there's NO SET BUY PRICE for anything in the collectors world. As a business owner of 3 DECADES, my job is to purchase anything and everything at the best price FOR ME, to profit and pay my bills to keep the doors open! I don't want to sound too condescending but you're like 10 years old with 5 years life experience so you applying rules to things that have no rules, is childish and myopic! If you're cruising through an antique shop, and you run across something that's worth $1000, but it's marked $3, do you buy it and score something great or do you volunteer your information and not buy the item? With your logic, everyone who buys the the thing for $3 bucks is a scammer, but the deal is fair & square! Perspective, little man!" The video was about a kid getting mislead by another vendor at a card show trying to say his card was worth less than what it actually is. This was the stores comments on the situation

I love this store very much because there is a lot of delicious candy to choose from, the people…read morewere helpful, and I had a wonderful time here today.

Great selection of candies, sodas, gift items, and collectibles. I picked up Bazooka Bubblegum…read moreSoda, Dad's Orange Cream Soda, Nuclear Orange Bomb Soda, and Dang that is good - Butterscotch Root Beer Soda. They have can opener at the counter. Friendly staff. Ambiance is nice and well organized. Overall, it was bit pricey.

Box Lunch is a series of stores that sell fun products for pop culture enthusiasts. I have been…read morehere throughout the years mostly to take inventory of the quirky items inside. It was a stroll for the curious. And sometimes I ended up buying a trinket. Like this one time, I bought an Alice in Wonderland coffee cup that became my daily coffee cup. And for those who are a daily coffee drinker they know one knows the contemplation and research that goes into picking the perfect cup. Science may one be able to explain why selecting a coffee cup is a matter of almost cosmic importance. When the coffee was done, the inside bottom- of my Alice in Wonderland cup- had this black and white optical illusion that suggested that the cup's bottom continued down an infinite hole, like the one the white rabbit fell through. Drinking the coffee to its last drop allowed me to see the optical illusion and briefly remember Alice's journey to Wonderland. And for a second remember that adventure is just down a hole that I may encounter sometime throughout the day, if not in the weekend. Eventually, the mug's handle broke in a shipping accident, and on that day the Cheshire Cat eyes teared up a little bit. I share the above anecdote to spotlight the type of product that can be purchased in these stores--- the type of items that are functional but mostly remind us to smile on the daily and daydreams of worlds where we can escape to and be wrapped in adventure. I for one need as many reminders to smile around me because I tend to remember the real world is full of pain and limits. The above was the broad value of BoxLunch. On this particular day, I went to BoxLunch to purchase a token of appreciation for my friend Conrad who is a StarWars fan, and May the 4th was near. The person who helped me first was named Faith. I introduced myself as Buffy. She said nice to meet you Buffy. I asked if she got the joke. She said no. I told her that the joke not landing was particularly harsh as I remember buyig a mock yearbook from a BoxLunch store, so if there was ever a time to meet a Faith was in BoxLunch sacred pop culture fertile ground. Faith and other employees were helpful and attentive. As I walked around, I took stock of all to see, until I found a shirt with baby Yoda that was cotton and cream. This was the shirt that I would get. And for myself I got a dress shirt with an Aladdin and Genie print. I could wear it to Disneyland but I think it is professional looking enough to wear it to some light cocktail party, and maybe it is tucked in, I can wear it to a professional setting. But that is a maybe. Fun and joyous prints and emblems have a time and place, and professional environments might not be the place. This place confirms what everyone knows already--- these stores are meant to be a romp of fun, where you buy items for the fun of it, and if one is lucky the object can be used in some functional way.

Shoutout to Justine and Christian for above and beyond customer service and also for just being…read moregenuinely friendly and welcoming. I picked up an online order in store and proceeded to browse the Funko Pop shelves. I found a Marvel Rivals Peni Parker and Justine kindly brought over a ladder to bring it down from the top shelf. She also recalled seeing a Psylocke previously too. She confirmed they had one in stock and she literally went through each shelf until she found it for me. No one has ever helped me look that throughly for a Funko Pop before. I was and am completely impressed and grateful. Thank you Justine! Christian was awesome at checkout. He helped me redeem a 25% coupon and informed me of future sales and coupons as well. Overall very impressed and happy with this experience. Left the store with a smile on my face. Thank you Justine and Christian! Keep up the amazing work and customer service! Visited 05/06/26. Approximately 8:00pm.

**4-Star Yelp Review**…read more **Great Two-Story Barnes & Noble at Irvine Spectrum - With a Couple of Hiccups** I really enjoy this Barnes & Noble location at the Irvine Spectrum Center. It's one of the nicer bookstores in Orange County with a spacious, bright layout spread across **two full floors** and an impressive selection of books. From bestsellers and new releases to sci-fi, cookbooks, kids' sections, and more -- everything is well-organized and a pleasure to browse. Upstairs is still my favorite spot: grab a good coffee and a pastry from the café, then settle in with a book. The relaxed vibe makes it easy to unwind and read for a while. And the location can't be beat -- stepping outside into the lively Irvine Spectrum Center with its fountains, palm trees, shopping, and endless food options turns any visit into a fun outing. That said, during my recent visit the escalator wasn't working, so I had to take the stairs while carrying books and drinks, which was a bit inconvenient on a two-story store. The bathrooms were also out of service, which was disappointing. These maintenance issues knocked it down a notch for me. Overall, it's still a solid bookstore with a great atmosphere and unbeatable surroundings. Clean, well-stocked, and friendly staff make it worth visiting, just hope they get the escalator and restrooms fixed soon! **Visited: May 2026** **Would I return?** Yes, but I'd check the facilities first next time.

I haven't been to a B&N store in a while, but I used to frequent these all the time. This was a…read morehuge B&N, which was really exciting, especially because it was well-organized. However, it was really hard to get any help. Staff are hard to find and clearly disinterested in helping customers for anything. My guy and I ended up getting some games from here cuz we really liked their assortment. But, wow! They were insanely pricey! Prices seem to have skyrocketed for most of the stuff they sell. I couldn't believe the prices for the fandom specific goodies (i.e. $50 for a small cookbook) and I was not inclined, at all, to get anything like that from here. I understand why people look for digital books instead of physical books. Can't beat the wonderful smell of books tho!

This was an event that happened on May 20th, it was a free entry, started 11AM until 2PM for comic…read morebook fans and artists at the Heritage library. Not much to complain about since it's free, but it was poorly promoted. Even a simple social media account would have helped spread the word to comic fans, hopefully they do it again next year.

They are SO nice here!…read more I always stop by when I'm picking up a drink in a same complex to see if they have tcg in stock. Their pricing is usually about $10 more than msrp, which is honestly so good compared to buying directly from resellers. They're always so friendly too! I also love that they limit pokemon tcg to one item per person. So if they have booster bundle and etbs, you can only choose one of them. They also sell loose packs from a booster box, where you can buy a max of 6. I truly love that they limit everyone to one so that there's enough to go around. We've been able to score some packs for decent pricing since pokemon had an uptake in collectors :) Aside from that, they also sell smiskis and sonny angels as well for about msrp!

Me and my family come here often. We come here to buy Pokemon cards and Lorcana. We play and…read morecollect as a family. We play as a family. A family member told us to try if they have it at game chest for Lorcana trove or anything from the new attack of the vine Lorcana set. I called first and then a lady on the phone said they have troves in stock. So we came in. Waited patiently in store to ask if they had any troves, saying we called ahead. The workers, lady and a man behind the registers "checked" to see if they had any stock, they looked at each other and asked if we played there in store. Not wanting to lie, we said no, and they immediately said no that they didn't have any stock. It was obvious they were lying. How can any person with a conscience lie like that to people and lie to family? We even told them this is how we encourage our son to read. But nothing. We aren't scalpers, we want to play the game. As a family. Being treated like that really leaves a bad impression and gatekeeping product for "their" players isn't cool. And if they want to do that they should set it aside and not include it in their stock. Or just say they don't have any. I can be okay with that. But to drive all the way there and ask and be treated like that makes me want to not support your business or play in your shop.

Very nice people and staff . I had a pleasant experience here . The store look organized.read more

Super cute store ! Could have browsed a lot longer , amazing selection! Bought some cute items for…read moremy nephews.

Still no change. Went in for a return, headed upstairs to the customer service counter and was once…read moreagain greeted with the familiar "we do returns downstairs too" brush-off. Same energy, different day. At this point it's clear this is a systemic issue, not a one-off. If the second floor counter is exclusively for order pickup, put up a sign. If it's general customer service, train the staff to act like it. Other Nordstrom locations don't pull this -- the inconsistency and attitude are unique to this store. Nordstrom corporate responded to my last review saying they'd "share it with the proper team members." Clearly that didn't accomplish much.

I had such a great experience at the Nordstrom in Irvine, specifically in the makeup department…read morewith Lyana R. She really is an "In Store Beauty Expert", I had an appointment with her for 3:00 PM on Saturday, and Lyana was ready and waiting for me right on time, which I really appreciated. I believe she's the manger of Westman Atelier and if she's not she should be . From the start, she was incredibly friendly and easy to talk to. What stood out the most was her honesty--she didn't try to push products I didn't need and gave thoughtful recommendations on what was worth purchasing now versus what could wait. That kind of transparency is rare and made the whole experience feel trustworthy and relaxed. She did an amazing job on my makeup. My 13 year old daughter even loved it. The final look was exactly what I wanted--very natural but still polished and beautiful. It enhanced my features without feeling heavy or overdone. Overall, Lyana was a pleasure to work with. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for a personalized and honest makeup experience, and I will definitely be booking with her again next time I'm at Nordstrom Irvine.