Amanda Pevey
Elmore Autauga News
What started as a friendship built on a shared love of comics, collectibles and pop culture is becoming something much bigger for downtown Tallassee.
Dreamcatcher Comics and Collectibles owner Steve Rogers and Wet Planet TV owners Ben and Bill Goss, along with partner Jake Hutchinson, are joining forces under one roof to create what they hope will become a one-of-a-kind destination for comic book fans, gamers, movie enthusiasts and collectors from across Central Alabama.
The partnership comes as Dreamcatcher prepares to relocate from the 750-square-foot storefront where Rogers first opened the business in 2021 to a larger, newly renovated location at 305 Barnett Blvd., next door to Tallassee Nutrition in Tallassee’s historic downtown district.
The businesses are tentatively planning to welcome customers to the new location on Saturday, July 18, with an official grand opening celebration planned for Aug. 22.
“We’ve outgrown this store,” Rogers said. “If I’m honest, we outgrew it about a year ago.”
For Rogers, the partnership with Wet Planet TV was a natural next step after years of friendship and collaboration.
“I’ve known Ben pretty much since we opened our first doors back in 2021,” Rogers said. “Over the years, we’ve collaborated on different projects, and when they started expanding Wet Planet TV, it just made sense. They bring retro video games, consoles, one of the largest out-of-print DVD, Blu-ray and 4K movie collections in Alabama, along with so many other pop culture items. It became a one-stop shop.”
The idea was first tested by inviting Wet Planet TV to set up inside Dreamcatcher for a weekend. The response exceeded expectations.
“It worked out so well that the following weekend we literally let them take over the store,” Rogers said. “We just sat back and let Wet Planet run it, and it worked out really good.”
For Ben Goss, the partnership represents an opportunity to turn decades of collecting into something the community can experience together.
“My twin brother Bill and I have been collecting and sharing these interests for 38 years,” Goss said. “One day I told him, ‘I’ll sell all my stuff if you sell all yours, and let’s build something that’s bigger than us.’ That’s how Wet Planet really started.”
While Wet Planet TV has grown through online sales and its YouTube channel, Goss said partnering with Dreamcatcher allows both businesses to create something customers would normally have to travel outside the area to find.
“We’re not just trying to open another retail store,” Goss said. “We’re trying to create something people can enjoy and remember.”
Since opening Dreamcatcher in 2021, Rogers has expanded the business well beyond comic books. Today, the store offers collectibles, artwork, signed memorabilia, arcade machines and other pieces of pop culture nostalgia. The move to the downtown location gives the business room to continue growing while placing it in one of Tallassee’s busiest areas.
Located next door to Tallassee Nutrition and near Tallassee Grill and Restoration Cafe, Rogers believes the new storefront will introduce even more people to what Dreamcatcher and Wet Planet TV have to offer.
“We’ve had a small store, but we’ve always tried to maximize the space we had,” Rogers said. “Now we’ll have more room for customers and more room to display everything.”
The expanded location will also give Wet Planet TV a permanent home inside the store, bringing together retro gaming systems, movies, apparel, sneakers and entertainment collectibles alongside Dreamcatcher’s extensive comic book inventory.
“There really isn’t a one-stop shop like this around here,” Rogers said.
Although comics remain at the heart of Dreamcatcher, Rogers said he wants every customer, whether they’re longtime collectors or first-time visitors, to experience a sense of wonder when they walk through the door.
“I want people to walk in and have that ‘oh my goodness’ moment,” Rogers said. “I want them to be in awe of the nostalgia.”
The new store layout is being designed so visitors continue discovering something new throughout their visit.
“We want people to think they’ve seen everything, then look over and say, ‘I didn’t even notice that,'” Rogers said.
Rogers has always believed Dreamcatcher should be more than a place to shop.
“It’s not just a store. It’s a destination.”
That philosophy has helped attract customers from Montgomery, Auburn, Birmingham and even visitors vacationing around Lake Martin, many of whom make Dreamcatcher a regular stop each year.
“We’ve got people from Chicago who come down every summer, and while they’re here, they make sure they come by the store,” Rogers said.
Community has also remained at the center of the business. Rogers, a retired military veteran, has partnered with V.E.T.S., a Tallassee nonprofit that helps veterans transition from military service to civilian life through motorcycle and automotive programs. Rather than simply making donations, Dreamcatcher supports the organization through events, promotion and community outreach.
“If you go to bed only thinking about how you’re going to make money the next day, you’re not doing the job you should be,” Rogers said. “It’s about serving people better.”
Goss said that same philosophy is what makes the partnership successful.
“It’s not about me,” Goss said. “It’s not about Steve. It’s about us. Connecting with people, sharing different cultures and different interests, that’s what Wet Planet is all about.”
As Dreamcatcher prepares to open its doors in downtown Tallassee, Rogers hopes visitors leave with more than a purchase.
He hopes they leave with memories, conversations and a reason to return.
“Our goal is to keep growing,” Rogers said. “Maybe a year or two from now we’re talking again because we’ve outgrown this place, too.”
For Rogers and Goss, the move represents more than a new address. It marks the beginning of a new chapter, one where shared passion, community connections and a love for nostalgia come together to create a destination unlike any other in the Tallassee area.
For more information and updates from Dreamcatchers Comics and Collectibles, visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/dreamcatchercomix.
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