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ABX store owner Paul Rogers looks like a D&D wizard or stereotypical Dungeon Master with his snow-white beard and piercing, intelligent eyes.
“If running the store were a game, I’d definitely be the Dungeon Master. But when it comes to sitting down at the table, I prefer to be just another player,” he said.
He said he has had so many incredible gaming experiences at ABX/ Augusta Book Exchange as a player that it was impossible to choose the best.
Also, he, at times, sounds like a country store owner with his Wrens, Georgia-gleaned drawl. In fact, he has co-owned the ABX store at 280 South Belair Rd. in Martinez, formerly Augusta Book Exchange, for approximately three years but has a much longer history with it. (Insert “The Lord of the Rings” music and wistful yet pained expression. Paul was there. He was there over 40 years ago… when D&D player Isildur took the Ring. Paul was there the day the strength of players failed. And they sent out for pizza.)
“We moved from Gordon Highway to our current Martinez location about three years ago. That’s when (current co-owner) Adam Mallard became more involved, significantly expanding and improving the gaming side of the business,” Paul told me.
ABX has been Paul-owned/co-owned in some fashion for six years total, and I have known him well for at least 11 years (perhaps longer than that because of hazy, youthful memories). Because of some hardships we have helped each other through over a decade, I look upon him not just as a friend but family.
One hardship Paul endured that many of us did was the pandemic as he told me: “Those first few years as an owner were unbelievably challenging as we adapted to new ways of doing business during the pandemic.”
He purchased the Gordon Hwy. location (now resold) from original store owner Michael Dorn. For Dorn, Paul managed and/or worked in the store as a comics lead and in management roles in its various locations for 44 years.
The first Augusta Book Exchange started on Broad Street in Augusta as a used bookstore, and Dorn started dealing in used comics and magazines there, too. From there, the business expanded to several locations, including Southgate and Gordon Highway.
Then, it consolidated into one location. During the mid-1980s, the store expanded beyond comics and books into various games and miniatures. The store, up to the present day in Martinez, serves as a community hub and hosts diverse gaming groups in a place safe for all almost every day.
Paul, who moved up from being the Southgate manager at one point to overseeing four locations before consolidation, told me, “Many of those players have become close friends over the years. It’s more than a shop—it’s a gathering place.”
At his computer behind the counter putting in orders for collectible wishes, Paul resembles the skinny Santa Claus from “The Year Without a Santa Claus”. He even played Santa’s helper at his church this past Christmas season and his girlfriend played Mrs. Claus.
Like Santa, he finds people what they want.
“One of the best discoveries was a graded 9.5 copy of ‘Incredible Hulk #181’—the first appearance of Wolverine. That was a real thrill to locate for a customer,” he said.
With his years of experience and connections in the comic and gaming industries, he excels at tracking down hard to find items.
When I was in high school and university and could drive to Augusta from Barnwell or Aiken, I think I remember him, too and can almost picture him and his smile. At one of the store’s previous locations, I would go in as a boy or young teen when my Mom was in Rose’s. I looked at the comics but used books is where I headed the most often – that mysterious corridor of wonder, that slightly enlarged hallway of never-ending stories.
In fact, the second Augusta Book Exchange on Gordon Boulevard had more of a rectangular book section with board shelves. Hung comics posters of various palettes and comics with many front cover, primary-colored heroes on shelves were on the other side. Gaming occurred toward the back. The late Donna Mallard, who ran a location in North Augusta, worked at the front counter with book trade-ins and purchases, etc.
Eventually, dark-haired, medium height Donna became the used book manager and helped process new comic subscriptions and looked carefully at each of the books close-up through her glasses. She left Augusta Book Exchange for a while and came back and stayed there until her retirement. To the devastation and grief of colleagues and customers, she passed away in April 2023. The used book component she was so instrumental in is no longer a part of the ABX store concept. But her spirit lives on in the regional book section at the modern store.
Donna showed great kindness to me, buying my books as an employee during signings and, at times, even slipping me unasked-for gas money. She was a sweet lady like the fantasy maidens one sees in books helping people along in their journey. Paul and she were inseparable, and he has often discussed how much he has missed her and how much she meant to him. For an example of how much of a pair they were at that store, a cartoon version of the two of them as ABX superheroes still exists to this day.
Paul said, “Today, Donna’s youngest son, Adam Mallard, who is also my stepson, plays a key role as co-owner—continuing the family tradition.”
Speaking of comics, Paul said, “Every Wednesday morning, a core group of comic collectors meet at the store to talk about comics, movies, and whatever else comes up. The most debated question of all time? ‘Who would win in a fight between Superman and the Hulk?’ ”
Like Donna, Paul helps people as they progress in life. And he discussed and placed my own fantasy books and graphic novel when I returned to Barnwell, South Carolina to be a caregiver in 2015. Also, he would allow my late Corgi Ziggy to come into the old location of his store – despite having cats there (and allows my new Corgi Moochie at the new cat-less store as well… and Paul still takes care of cats at home, by the way). In fact, we have had more than a business owner and book vendor/author relationship. We’ve forged a friendship spanning over a decade, and he is like an older brother to me.
Paul has also been kind to Augusta area creatives of all types for decades, supporting regional creators by dedicating a section of the store to their work and helping plan events for them individually and as a group.
Speaking of events, ABX has some exciting ones coming up this year with CSRA Sequential Artists (and others), including Free Comic Book Day 2026 and Comics Giveaway Day 2026, both happening on the first Saturday in May. Two local, presently unannounced artists who are releasing cover art for upcoming Image Comics releases and tentatively plan to come to the event. ABX will also be at the annual favorite con, JoeFest 2026, this June.
A team also helps in the store, including the following: Matt Roberts, the long-time wittily sarcastic elf to Paul’s skinny Santa Claus; Wilson who evidently only goes by that name alone and who oversees the majority of their gaming tournaments; and Adam Mallard.
ABX co-owner Paul Roger’s Favorites:
Favorite Movie: “Too many great ones to choose from”
Favorite Comic: “Huck” by Mark Millar
Favorite T.V. Show: “Reacher”
Favorite Artist: Steve Epting
Author: Mark Millar
Ron Baxley, Jr. is a veteran journalist who has been a published author for 34 years and is working on writing a Southern-set television series. His latest satirical Southern fantasy Oz book, “O.Z. Diggs the Fifth Estate” is the third in the O.Z. Diggs VII series. For additional columns and fiction, go to https://substack.com/@ronbaxleyjr . Contact him via ronbaxleyjr.com .
