After 43 years, Outer Limits founder passes the torch

Andy Rieker has collected comic books, toys, music and other pop culture memorabilia for some 40 years. “Something might be broken in my head,” he joked. So when he worked at Foster-Miller in Waltham as a chemist and engineer, he began to frequent The Outer Limits on Moody Street in 2008. The store is a magnet for comic fans, renowned for its massive and deep trove of all things comic-book related.

Fast forward to 2026. On Thursday, Aug. 13, Rieker signed papers and became the new owner of the legendary emporium. On Saturday, while the Moody Street Car Show raised a hubbub outside, the store’s founder, Steve Higgins, met Rieker in the shop to informally pass the torch.

Higgins’ journey with The Outer Limits began 43 years ago. He was 23 years old and newly married when he decided to make some money selling the comic books he had amassed since he was a kid. On Oct. 3, 1983, he launched his business on Moody Street in the spot now occupied by Waku Waku Ramen. The store succeeded beyond his expectations. “I made $33 and went to the movies,” he recalled. 

Higgins landed on Moody Street because the man who rented a basement space for a mail-order business was willing to sublet the street-level space to him. The shop quickly outgrew the location and moved across the street (now Pho & Spice), then a few doors over (Happy Feet) and finally to its current location at 437 Moody. 

The best part about the business was that “I had fun every single day,” Higgins said. To be sure, there were hair-raising moments — two hurricanes that blew down the store’s sign, a roof collapse, a flood — but “I never missed a day,” he said. He quickly amended that claim: “I did miss one day for being sick, and I was late two days.” 

He has seen the world of comics transform. “Comic culture was for nerds back then,” he recalled. “It has become so big and mainstream.” 

When Higgins announced this January that he was retiring, he planned to shutter the shop. He figured he might take mail orders and go to a few trade shows. But the universe had other plans. The news of the impending closure spread rapidly, like a Bat Signal over the region. 

“So many people stopped by, saying they’d been coming since they were 10 years old. They’re now 50!” People remembered which comics they bought 40 years ago. They shared memories, shed some tears, hugged Higgins. “It was like watching my own funeral for the last eight months,” Higgins said. “I was not prepared for that at all.” 

Over the years, Rieker said he kept bugging Higgins about letting him take over the store. “He didn’t think I was serious,” and he didn’t think to call when he decided to close the shop. Rieker stepped forward with a serious offer, which Higgins quickly accepted. It took another half year for paperwork to transfer the assets of the business.

The deal was finalized on Thursday, Aug. 13, for an undisclosed sum. Having had tens of thousands of comics in his inventory, Higgins says he no longer owns a single comic. 

Will Collins, who has been friends with Rieker since they both worked at Foster-Miller, will run the store day to day. He will be busy. Higgins estimated 500 to 800 customers visit each week. 

“People love this stuff. They come in thinking it’s a museum. Some don’t realize it’s all for sale,” Rieker said. He hopes for a seamless transition. The biggest change: The store can now process sales electronically. “We might add collectible card games — think Pokemon cards — but we’ll continue to carry everything we always have,” he said.

“This may be the oldest store on Moody Street” with the possible exception of Albert’s Photo Studio, Higgins mused. Under Rieker, The Outer Limits will live on to see a new era.

Higgins’ parting words to his longtime customers are simple and heartfelt: “Thank you. That’s it. Thank you.”