OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — In this week's Shop The Heartland Report, 3 News Now Anchor Serese Cole takes you to a Metro comic bookstore where your favorite comic books can also be served with your favorite pick-me-up.
"Here's this big cardboard box just full of comic books: Daredevil, X-Men, Spider-Man. So I spent this wonderful, blissful summer, and I would sit under the tree and read comics and drink strawberry Shasta," Dave DeMarco reminisced.
Dave is now living his childhood dream.
His fascination with comic books grew the more he read.
Nearly 15 years ago, he assembled his own team and opened a comic book shop.
"In this store, I'm sure there are hundreds of thousands of things to read and then we have our off-site collection which is about 500 to one million comics," Dave said.
It's filled with all things comics.
"We have puzzles, we have banks, some board games, it's basically anything I thought that was kind of whimsical and fun that's comic book related," he shared.
Dave gives recommendations.
"Saga is a wonderful book. I encourage anyone to read it over the age of 18-years old," he suggested.
He also welcomes any new comic book fans thanks to blockbuster movies like Avengers and Spider-Man.
"Iron Man was the first spark, but Avengers was really like oh it's coming, it's happening. People would want to come in and read the Avengers," he said.
It's not just a comic bookstore.
It's also a full coffee shop.
The idea was sparked by Dave's mom years ago.
"When I was younger, I would have my mother drive me to comic bookstores and she would park outside and let me go in," Dave recalled. "She did not like to go into comic bookstores. She thought they were unseemly. So when it came time for me to open my own store, one of the missions was I have to make it a store that my mother would feel comfortable spending time in."
He hoped coffee would make everyone feel welcome.
The cup of joes at the comic bookstore get creative.
"Currently, Invincible is airing on Amazon and it's this really fun comic book based on an animated show," Dave stated.
So now they've added Invincible lattes and sodas to the menu.
Customers can drive through for coffee or comics.
"The drive-thru saved us during covid. We could actually hand people their comics through the drive-thru while remaining open," said Dave.
For Dave, Legend Coffee and Comics is more than a childhood passion.
It's a victory.
"When I was growing up, I was like a nerd, but it was a bad thing to be a nerd. But now I feel like nerds kind of won. We did it. Like everything that I got made fun of for liking when I was younger and in high school is now like yeah, the greatest," he said with a smile.
Dave said some of your old comic books could be quietly shooting up in value. If you'd like to get them appraised, he'll do it free of charge.
For now, five customers are allowed inside Legend Comics and Coffee at a time and the seating area in the coffee shop is temporarily closed due to covid.
You can drop by the store at 52nd and Leavenworth Street or visit their Facebook page for more details.
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