There has been a great disturbance in the Force. I first profiled Don Sucher and his one-of-a-kind shop in Aberdeen three years ago, when the hottest news in the Star Wars universe was season four of Clone Wars on Cartoon Network. Then came a day that will long be remembered: 30 October 2012, when George Lucas announced he was selling his mighty empire to our galactic overlords at Disney. Oh, and by the way, he and Disney were already in preproduction on a trilogy of spanking new cinematic adventures, most likely to costar the leads from the Holy Trilogy (Episodes IV-VI, 1977-1983) alongside a cast of new Padawan learners. I'm pretty sure my heart grew three sizes that day.

We've since learned director J. J. Abrams, best known for revitalizing and then butchering the Star Trek franchise (sorry, but I hated The Wrath of Cumberbatch), has taken the reins of Episode VII.  His cowriter for the new film, Lawrence Kasdan, also penned shooting drafts for The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and apparently some movies for grown-ups as well. As we speak, shooting is well underway; so, starting December of 2015, the maybe-not-so-loved prequels will slip even farther into our collective rearview.

It is time, therefore, once again, to start chasing down collectibles. As much as it pains you to remember, you sold a full collection of Tattooine action figures to buy your first car. You put your Millennium Falcon on eBay to help pay for college. Mom tossed all your Rogue Squadron tie-in novels into the Death Star trash compactor, aka the nearest Dumpster. The shelves of your childhood archives are bare, my Rebel friend. How long has it been since you felt the swish-THRUM of a plastic lightsaber in your hand? Well, buddy, that's too long!

That Leia tattoo (in Tatooine slave garb, of course) on Don Sucher's arm is no Cracker Jack press-on, it's the real deal, signed by Carrie Fisher herself. Browsing Sucher & Sons is like spending an afternoon in Watto's junk shop. Oh, sure, Sucher has the parts for a J-type 327 Nubian flagship, but he also has every action figure known to man, every poster, every battery-powered robot, every book, every artifact of a galaxy far, far away. When I'm in Sucher's Star Wars Shop, I'm a preteen again, ignoring eye-rolls from my wife as I daydream of an IMAX 3-D ticket and a bathtub-sized bucket of popcorn in 2015.

Perhaps the most appealing thing about Sucher is he's a superfan himself, so he's been known to quote a bargain price to match an item with its predestined owner. So it was that I came home from my first visit with a copy of the long-out-of-date Star Wars Sketchbook. That's an art volume compiled by Joe Johnston, the ILM effects illustrator who went on to direct The Rocketeer and Captain America: The First Avenger. My beloved copy sits a mere arm's length away as I write this. So what does Don Sucher have in his emporium of wonders for you? The short answer: your childhood, still mint on the card. Long answer: you won't know until you swing by and drool for the merchandise.

I once asked Sucher if he'd ever consider selling his store. "I've often thought, ‘Gee, what would I do?'" he replied doubtfully. "I'm retired, but I have fun doing what I love." No, the Force will be with him ... always.

SUCHER & SONS STAR WARS SHOP, 11-6 daily, 413 E. Wishkah, Aberdeen, 360.970.7080