There's a place in an area of Hampton, VA called Bender's. It's an institution and has been a staple for decades.

Bender's used to have a brisk business selling newspapers and magazines. They opened early (which I greatly admire) and supplied a lot of periodicals to local walk-ins. We all know what happened to that industry.

Newspapers and the like were good for Bender's, but they specialized in comics and collectibles. I've never been a comics guy. Bender's was my Horror Headquarters.

I began frequenting Bender's in the mid-1980s. This was well before the Internet, so if you wanted collectibles, you had to find spots like Bender's. In my early years of full-blown horror obsession I bought many, many books and magazines there. I would buy Fangoria. They carried the occasional brand-new paperback or hardcover. I discovered Deep Red Magazine at Bender's. It was there where I bought all three issues of Iniquities, a fantastic horror fiction magazine. I would get back issues of Twilight Zone and Famous Monsters. I saw the very first issue of Cemetery Dance Magazine, a Rick Hautala special, there.

Bender's was always a place of magic, of unbridled imagination. I sought my nightmares in fictional form in its walls. I rekindled my old sense of wonder with old SF purchases. I discovered new and exciting publications.

Time, as always, flew by. Bender's was carrying fewer horror items. I think I was pretty much the only person buying that stuff. My visits became more infrequent.

Like so many I started using the Internet a lot more. It was so much easier to find old books at Ebay or Abebooks.

A few years ago I started to go back more often. There wasn't a lot of stuff at Bender's for me, but I would try to find something to purchase. I would sometimes go months without stopping by, and the horror section would appear to be unchanged. Nothing new on the shelves, and very little seemed to be gone.

Bender's is still there. I honestly don't know how they keep the lights on and the bills paid. Thankfully comics are as hot as ever, and people buy enough to keep the wheels greased.

These days I go to Bender's once a month or so. I always buy something. I'm not rich, and I am trying hard to become debt-free, but two or three hundred dollars a year is not going to make or break me. But if enough loyal customers do it, it will keep the store afloat. New stuff does show up now and then.

You can spend hours in a place like Bender's. It's pretty disorganized, and there's no telling what you will find in whatever area you are looking in. They have toys, movie memorabilia of all kinds, classic mystery/pulp fiction, sports cards, all kinds of oddities.

Chances are there is a store like Bender's near you. You may not even know about it. You should try to locate and visit them. Buy your comics locally, and see what kind of older titles they have on hand.

Places like Bender's are becoming scarce, but they are vital to local collectors. We need them, and they damned sure need us.

Seek them out. Even if you are not a comics person, it doesn't hurt to poke into the local shops. Many of them have used books on hand. You never know, you might even make a friend in such a place.

We can contribute to Jeff Bezos's daily billion dollar intake, or we can support our local communities. It's more than important. Our very souls are at stake.

Written by Mark Sieber

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