Bricks and Minifigs owners Carrie and Paul Indelicato inside their store. (Jack Jacobs photos)
In an apparent show of customers’ enthusiasm, Bricks and Minifigs co-owner Paul Indelicato said there was a line out the door the first day of business at the new and used Legos store near Short Pump.
“We had an excellent grand opening. We couldn’t close our doors for four hours, they were lined up around the block,” Indelicato said.
Paul and his wife Carrie opened the first local franchise of Bricks and Minifigs last month at 10953 W. Broad St. in Colonnades West shopping center. The store has attracted customers from outside the Richmond area, including from North Carolina, Virginia Beach and Roanoke.
“The thing that surprises me is the lengths people are driving to come see us. We’ve had people drive two hours, three hours,” Paul said.
Bricks and Minifigs is at 10953 W. Broad St. in the Colonnades West shopping center.
And while the franchisees are still getting their footing as store owners, Paul said they could pick up an additional local territory in order to establish a store south of the river.
“If this keeps going the way it’s going, all things considered, I’d love to open a store on the Southside,” Paul said.
The store near Short Pump occupies a 2,500-square-foot space that features shelves of boxed Lego kits, a wall of already-assembled used sets and ranks of Lego figures in display cases.
“I just love seeing all the people come in. Ninety-nine percent of them are in awe,” Carrie said.
Also at the store are tables brimming with bricks of all sizes and shapes that customers can pick through, particularly Lego fans interested in MOC (which stands for “my own creation”) building.
Bricks and Minifigs has tables where customers can pick through and select individual Lego pieces.
“(They) come and dig through the tables for hours. We had a guy who works locally and came every night for four nights because he’s building something and would spend an hour after work digging through the tables, building his set,” Paul said.
The owners said the store has proven a popular venue for kids’ birthday parties, and has already been the site of at least six parties since the store opened.
The store has about a half dozen employees and hasn’t had trouble finding applicants. The tricky part, they said, has been to weed through applications to find people who won’t get too caught up in Lego mania.
“It’s a retail store where you get to be involved with something you love,” Paul said. “They’ll be like, ‘I’m an expert at Lego,’ and I’m like, ‘That’s cool, I appreciate that, I think that’s neat but you also have to be willing to talk to people and get out on the floor and see what people are up to.’ …I think that’s a challenge for retail in general, finding employees that want to engage with everybody and be out front.”
Bricks and Minifigs is a chain of stores independent of Denmark-based Lego. The stores buy, sell and trade the building blocks.
The Henrico County store was the brand’s first in Virginia, and another franchisee is planning to open a location in Charlottesville. The company had more than 80 stores listed as open or planned to open on its website.
The Indelicatos leased their storefront late last year. Carrie handles the store’s day-to-day operations. Paul keeps the books and also works as a data analyst for Markel Corp.
A display of Lego figures at Bricks and Minifigs.
Bricks and Minifigs owners Carrie and Paul Indelicato inside their store. (Jack Jacobs photos)
In an apparent show of customers’ enthusiasm, Bricks and Minifigs co-owner Paul Indelicato said there was a line out the door the first day of business at the new and used Legos store near Short Pump.
“We had an excellent grand opening. We couldn’t close our doors for four hours, they were lined up around the block,” Indelicato said.
Paul and his wife Carrie opened the first local franchise of Bricks and Minifigs last month at 10953 W. Broad St. in Colonnades West shopping center. The store has attracted customers from outside the Richmond area, including from North Carolina, Virginia Beach and Roanoke.
“The thing that surprises me is the lengths people are driving to come see us. We’ve had people drive two hours, three hours,” Paul said.
Bricks and Minifigs is at 10953 W. Broad St. in the Colonnades West shopping center.
And while the franchisees are still getting their footing as store owners, Paul said they could pick up an additional local territory in order to establish a store south of the river.
“If this keeps going the way it’s going, all things considered, I’d love to open a store on the Southside,” Paul said.
The store near Short Pump occupies a 2,500-square-foot space that features shelves of boxed Lego kits, a wall of already-assembled used sets and ranks of Lego figures in display cases.
“I just love seeing all the people come in. Ninety-nine percent of them are in awe,” Carrie said.
Also at the store are tables brimming with bricks of all sizes and shapes that customers can pick through, particularly Lego fans interested in MOC (which stands for “my own creation”) building.
Bricks and Minifigs has tables where customers can pick through and select individual Lego pieces.
“(They) come and dig through the tables for hours. We had a guy who works locally and came every night for four nights because he’s building something and would spend an hour after work digging through the tables, building his set,” Paul said.
The owners said the store has proven a popular venue for kids’ birthday parties, and has already been the site of at least six parties since the store opened.
The store has about a half dozen employees and hasn’t had trouble finding applicants. The tricky part, they said, has been to weed through applications to find people who won’t get too caught up in Lego mania.
“It’s a retail store where you get to be involved with something you love,” Paul said. “They’ll be like, ‘I’m an expert at Lego,’ and I’m like, ‘That’s cool, I appreciate that, I think that’s neat but you also have to be willing to talk to people and get out on the floor and see what people are up to.’ …I think that’s a challenge for retail in general, finding employees that want to engage with everybody and be out front.”
Bricks and Minifigs is a chain of stores independent of Denmark-based Lego. The stores buy, sell and trade the building blocks.
The Henrico County store was the brand’s first in Virginia, and another franchisee is planning to open a location in Charlottesville. The company had more than 80 stores listed as open or planned to open on its website.
The Indelicatos leased their storefront late last year. Carrie handles the store’s day-to-day operations. Paul keeps the books and also works as a data analyst for Markel Corp.
A display of Lego figures at Bricks and Minifigs.