HAMLET — Comic and gaming fans in Richmond County now have a place to openly be a nerd.
It’s no coincidence that Stephanie Van Hassle scheduled the ribbon cutting for her new store, Nerdy Collective, on May 4 — informally referred to as Star Wars Day, with the sci-fi movie-inspired pun motto “May the Fourth be with you.”
The storefront windows of the shop let customers know what to expect, with cardboard cutouts of Spiderman and Princess Leia on one side of the door, and Wonder Woman, Leonardo of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Grogu — affectionately called “Baby Yoda” — from the Star Wars spin-off series “The Mandalorian” on the other.
The comic store occupies the former Langston Bros. Jewelry location on Main Street in Hamlet.
While the front of the shop serves as retail space, with a variety of comic-related merchandise, Van Hassle said the back will be a “Game Cave,” where customers can come in for card and role-playing games. She said she plans to host card tournaments for Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering.
“I want it to be a fun place for nerds in the county to come hang out,” she said, adding that customers can borrow those she has or bring their own. The space will be available on a first-come basis or by reservation.
The COVID pandemic actually spurred Van Hassle into starting the company.
Just before everything shut down, she was working as a middle school teacher. But after being sent home and seeing the number of virus-related deaths every day on the news, she said the mortality set in.
“I thought, ‘Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?’” Van Hassle recalled.
She started Nerdy Collective in 2020 with a few friends making handmade nerdy crafts, selling them at craft shows and comic conventions, as well as online at nerdycollective.com.
“We would get together and make stuff and it was very therapeutic,” she said. “We enjoyed it.”
Adding to the mortality issue, Van Hassle said her brother died in 2021.
“I thought if I could do something that just brought me joy every single day, it would be retail again,” she said. “I’ve worked retail before and I absolutely love it. I’m a people person.”
Van Hassle said she was at her chiropractor a few months back and he asked when she was going to open a store.
So, following that conversation, she quit her job and within a week found the space to rent.
“I hung out here for a few hours and I thought, ‘You know what, this is a pretty cool place. I wouldn’t mind spending more time here,’” she said. “I love the historical building, I love Hamlet. This community has been so embracing of the concept of the store and everybody’s offered to pitch in and help.
“I’ve been told by more people in the last two months that they want to see me succeed than I have in my entire adult life,” Van Hassle continued. “This means a lot to a lot of people here, because they don’t want to have to drive to Fayetteville or Southern Pines or wherever for their nerdiness.”
Van Hassle said she wanted to create a community center for those who are a part of Nerd Culture and where “kids have a safe place to socialize and stay off the streets.”
In addition to comic books, cards and related memorabilia, the store also carries vintage VHS movies and records.
Although the doors have been open as she continues to set up the store, the grand opening is slated for Saturday, May 7, Free Comic Book Day.
