If you haven’t stepped on a stray Lego block recently while walking barefoot in the house, let’s say a lot has changed in the world of plastic bricks.
In the old days, when all the toy bricks were about the same size, a kid could build a house that looked like a long, rectangular silo. Today, Lego blocks come in all sorts of shapes, colors and sizes.
Build a house? Now you can build a 3D replica of the White House.
Legos are big business. The company that originated in Denmark in 1949 generated revenue of $9.78 billion in 2023.
Jackson Wagner and his father, John Wagner, are building a business with Lego blocks as its foundation.
Their Bricks & Minifigs store in Jacksonville Beach sells only Lego merchandise.
The franchise at 4004 S. Third St. in the South Beach Regional shopping center is scheduled to open Sept. 7.
It sells new and used Lego model kits, Jackson Wagner said.
For customers wanting immediate Lego satisfaction, the Wagners sell premade Lego models of cars, Star Wars-themed items, elegant town homes, aircraft and even towns.
Creative sorts can buy Lego pieces to create nearly anything imaginable.
The store has tables with loose Lego pieces. There is an army of Lego people in glass showcases. The company has made so many of them that if these little people were real people, they’d add 4 billion to the world’s population.
“A lot of people like to build their own stuff and sometimes they need a particular piece or a certain color,” Wagner said.
Lego kits are collectable. A popular kit made 10 years ago and no longer manufactured, for example, will increase in value to collectors. Hard-to-find models can sell for nearly $12,000, Wagner said.
The most expensive figure he has is a thimble-size Princess Leia from a fourth-edition Star Wars set that he’ll sell for $400.
Wagner and his father have invested about $200,000 to buy the franchise and outfit the store.
They are the 183rd Bricks & Minifigs franchise and the only one in Northeast Florida. There is an official branded Lego store at St. Johns Town Center.
The Beaches store will hold its grand opening at 10 a.m. Sept. 7 and will feature Lego giveaways.
Opearting hours will be 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It will be closed Sundays.
Loose pieces are sold by volume and range from 10-ounce to two-gallon bags of Lego bricks.
Besides buying stock from the Bricks & Minifigs company, Wagner buys and trades with area collectors and those around the country. Wagner will search for a special set that a customer might want.
“There are 20- and 30-year-old sets that people had as kids and want them now as adults. But instead of having to deal with eBay or Facebook Marketplace, we’re local and they can come to us,” he said.
Wagner has a separate room for birthday parties.
In the future, there may be Lego competitions to see who can build a model the fastest.
Creators will be able to display their latest Lego art at scheduled shows.
While planned obsolescence is the norm these days, Lego blocks manufactured in the 1960s will work with blocks made today.
“Lego may be the largest toy company that just has one product,” Wagner said.
Source: natgeokids.com