Steve Anderson and his wife, Trish Rabbitt, started their comic store Third Eye in 2008 at a small space in Annapolis.

They’ve since established a growing empire that’s nationally recognized within the “nerd store business,” as Anderson puts it, that includes shops in College Park, Southern Maryland and Virginia and a space that spans three storefronts in Annapolis.

They sell comics, board games, books, graphic novels, trading card games, albums and more. Collectibles like those are often key parts of a person’s identity and how they experience the world.

Allied Market Research valued the global comic book industry at $16.8 billion in 2024; Fortune Business Insights valued the global board game industry at $14.36 billion in that same year.

The name Third Eye was strategic, Anderson said. He wanted a name that could be shortened and adapted into other media: Third Eye Comics, Third Eye Games, Third Eye Music & Video. And if spelled numerically, it would appear toward the front of phone books.

Anderson, 43, moved around a lot as a kid, he said, but grew up going to a comic shop in Bowie.

“Having a place and an outlet to go where someone knows exactly what you’re talking about, that feels good,” he said. “That’s kind of what attracted me to comic shops as a kid.”

So what draws a guy into the comic business in the first place?

Anderson: I moved around a lot as a kid, and I stumbled into comic book stores when I was, like, maybe 8 or 9. When you move around a lot, you’re always the new kid, so you’re always looking for something to kind of like anchor on to. And a comic shop was it for me.

How did that transition into running a growing business?

I started working at the shop that I grew up going to in Bowie when I was about 18 or 19, and I did that for a few years. And then when I was about 25, I was like, I really can’t see myself doing anything else.

I started selling my collection, working my day job at the comic shop, delivering pizzas, and then had enough money to buy out a store in Annapolis that was going to be closing. And we opened Third Eye.

When did you know you were ready to go beyond ‘just’ selling comic books? How did you choose what to get into next?

It’s organic. When we first opened, we carried a little bit of tabletop gaming stuff.

And we started seeing demand for that, like for “Magic: The Gathering.” People were excited about it. People were coming in for it.

And it’s kind of the same thing with music. They’re all kind of extensions of stuff that we all like that work here. We all like music, we all like games.

How important are the relationships between these kinds of businesses and their customers?

I mean, that’s the key. I call them nerd stores, because we carry so much different stuff. But the nerd store business is relationship-based.

Whether it’s comics, games, music, whatever, these are things that people really hold special to them. They’re things they’re passionate about.

How do you think online retailers affect the comic business or the ‘nerd store’ industry?

I think that the internet can enhance businesses like us. But it doesn’t hurt businesses like us. The experience in the stores is always the key, because discoverability is the thing that everyone’s missing online.

Do you think these kinds of stores are effective ‘third place’ for people?

One hundred percent. These are anchors for people.

Comics come out every week, so you see people come in every week. You build relationships. You get to know them. They get to know you.

You said you were once that kid looking for an anchor. What does it mean to you now to get to provide that for others?

That’s it. That’s my goal. I want to have one of these everywhere for that kid who doesn’t have a place where they fit.

Third Eye is a place for everybody who may not have a place.

Do you want to keep expanding?

I’d love to.

Do you think you’ll stay regionally, or ...?

Yeah, man, I want to be America’s favorite nerd store.

We definitely want to do more. I mean, obviously regionally is where you start. But our industry is small. I would love to take the experience we give people here, and if they move or relocate, they don’t feel like, “Well, I guess I don’t have my place to go to anymore.”

If someone is interested in a hobby, be it comics or games, but they have no idea where to start, how do you help?

Whenever someone’s first coming in — that’s the thing that we we focus on the most. We love seeing people get into the hobby.

It starts at the door, like, “Hey, is it your first time in?” You give them room to browse, then you follow up, ask them what they’re into.

Let’s say someone wants to get into comics, if they’ve never read anything before, I ask them about their favorite movies or books, and we can find them something.

So do you just have a whole mess of comic books around your house?

Believe it or not, so, you know the line, ‘Never get high on your own supply’? There’s a bunch stuff I read, but there’s not a lot I keep.

When I sold my collection, I kept three long boxes, and I still only have three long boxes. It’s just the stuff that means something to me.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and concision.