Dragon's Den working to re-open following seizure

The sudden closure of Dragon's Den following the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance's seizure of the store Wednesday came as a shock to Hudson Valley residents and longtime customers.

But Dragon's Den is "not dead yet," owner David Steltenkamp said.

The Department of Taxation and Finance seized the comics and hobby shop in the Poughkeepsie Plaza due to its failure to settle 18 open tax warrants totaling $177,609.84, according to department spokesperson James Gazzale. Nine were for withholding tax, eight were for sales tax and one was for corporate tax.

COMIC SHOP SEIZURE: Dragon's Den in Poughkeepsie seized by state  

TAX DEBT: You pay, they don't — $8.7 million in sales tax debt owed

LOCAL FANS: Hudson Valley Comic Con revels in diverse appeal  

But Steltenkamp hopes to come to an agreement with the department on a payment plan to resolve these issues and reopen.

While he could not comment on specifics, Steltenkamp said a resolution to the seizure is "on the horizon."

"I want to get this taken care of," he said. "I want to pay my taxes. If we can agree on a payment plan, I'm all for it."

The warrants, which hold liability periods from 2007 to 2017, stemmed from misfiled taxes, missed payments, errors made by a former accountant and "bad advice" from a tax law firm, Steltenkamp said. The department first contacted Dragon's Den regarding misfiled taxes in 2009, Steltenkamp said, adding that these initial issues were resolved.

"The word tax evasion implies that we tried to dodge paying our taxes, when the reality is that we struggled to make our payments and had issues in the past where taxes were filed incorrectly," he said. "We've been aware of this issue for a while."

In 2016, the department contacted Steltenkamp regarding the 18 open tax warrants, Steltenkamp said. The department contacted Steltenkamp again about 20 days prior to the store's seizure regarding paying the entire amount, he said.

Gazzale declined to comment on any specifics regarding the department's communication with Steltenkamp as it would be a breach of privacy.

"In general, after the seizure of a business, we continue to communicate with the owner and try to return the keys as quickly as possible," he said.

The store, which first opened in 1993 according to Journal archives, not only sells comic books, collectibles, video games and other merchandise, but hosts game nights and other events.

Casey Said, an assistant manager at Dragon's Den, started a GoFundMe campaign (gofundme.com/save-dragons-den) Wednesday night with a goal of $15,000 to re-open the store.

The campaign raised $1,405 of its goal as of 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, less than 24 hours since its creation.

Dragon's Den's seizure coupled with the campaign prompted discussion within the community about the future for the comic shop.

Some criticized the campaign for asking the community to pay for a problem that is Dragon's Den's responsibility.

"I've been a customer (at Dragon's Den) for years (and) enjoyed coming through when I could, but if you don't pay your taxes, you've shown how much it all means to you," Andrew Pizzuto wrote on the campaign page.

Yet others hoped for the store's return.

"Unfortunate! I used to love that place when I was younger," said Jason Baker, a City of Poughkeepsie resident. "Hopefully it can be allowed to return to its former glory."

The community response has been "overwhelmingly positive," with many expressing support for the store and the staff, Steltenkamp said. While funds raised through the campaign will not be able to solve the issue, it will help with payments, he said.

"Comic shops are a different type of business," he said. "It's the only type of business with customers who are willing to pitch in, and I think it's important that we're able to provide them with this space."

Geoffrey Wilson: gwilson@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4882, Twitter: Geoff_LW