Bricks and Minifigs is a retail chain that sells new and used Legos. A local couple is planning to open a store near Short Pump later this year. (Photos courtesy of Bricks and Minifigs)
The building blocks are being put into place for the region’s first Bricks and Minifigs, a chain of stores that sells new and used Legos.
Local husband-and-wife Paul and Carrie Indelicato bought the franchise rights to bring the brand to the Richmond market and leased an outpost last week in the Colonnades West shopping center.
The upcoming shop will buy, sell and trade Legos, and is expected to be up and running in mid-December. The store occupies a 2,500-square-foot space at 10953 W. Broad St., next to the Marshalls.
As self-proclaimed AFOLs (A Lego community acronym for “adult fan of Lego”), the Indelicatos hope their shop will be a hub for local Lego enthusiasts to come together and talk blocks.
“The business model is based on not just what you can sell but also how you can give back and be part of the community. You can buy Lego anywhere, but we want you to come here and hang out,” Paul said.
The shop plans to set aside space for a community room and it will hold birthday parties and charity events that feature Legos.
The franchisees are building up their inventory through distributors as well as through their own purchase of used Legos online.
“You do a lot of buying up front. In the last four months we’ve been buying inventory on Facebook and Craigslist,” Paul said. “But (Bricks and Minifigs) corporate has also done a good job working with vendors for those official sets.”
Bricks and Minifigs is a franchised chain of stores independent of the famous Danish toy company.
“We work with the official Lego distributors and we’re considered an official Lego vendor,” Paul said.
The Indelicatos have laid claim to a local territory that includes western Henrico, Northside Richmond, Ashland and Mechanicsville. They hope to open another store or two in the next three to five years.
Paul and Carrie Indelicato are opening the region’s first Bricks and Minifigs store.
The Indelicatos’ journey to becoming Lego shop owners began in 2017 when a friend of Paul’s clued him into the existence of Bricks and Minifigs as a potential business opportunity.
Plans for a store were shelved while the Indelicatos prepared to move from Ohio back to the Richmond area in 2019, where they both grew up.
But Paul never forgot about the possibility of Bricks and Minifigs. Sensing that the pandemic was ebbing away, it seemed high time to revisit the idea.
“I always had the Bricks and Minifigs (website) bookmarked and I would check on them. They didn’t fold (during the pandemic). They did really well through the pandemic and coming into this year I thought I’d give them a call and give them a chance,” Paul said.
Bricks and Minifigs estimates that it costs $99,000 to $225,000 to establish a store, according to its website. The initial franchise fee is $25,000 and the company estimates the starting inventory will range between about $24,700 to $54,000.
Bricks and Minifigs, which opened its first store in 2010, lists on its website more than 50 stores in the United States and Canada either currently open or planned.
Paul, who has a background in retail by way of a 10-year stint with Sherwin Williams, is currently a data analyst for Markel Corp. He plans to keep that gig but handle the books for the store. Carrie will be the store manager and run the day-to-day operations.
They bring with them their love of Lego. A particular Lego favorite of Paul’s is the Voltron set, which is a model of the robot featured in the 1980s animated cartoon series of the same name.
Carrie said she didn’t have a favorite kit per se, but enjoys the modular building collection, which is a series of intricate Lego buildings. After her first son was born, the 1930s-style firehouse in the series was a welcome way to unwind and spurred her interest in the hobby.
“I had a lot of downtime when he was sleeping and napping,” she said. “It’s something to do to relax my mind. Lego is such a great toy and a great thing that people can come together and share their creativity.”
The Henrico-based store takes shape as Lego embarks on the construction of a 1.7 million-square-foot brick manufacturing facility in Chesterfield County. The company recently broke ground on the project.
Bricks and Minifigs is a retail chain that sells new and used Legos. A local couple is planning to open a store near Short Pump later this year. (Photos courtesy of Bricks and Minifigs)
The building blocks are being put into place for the region’s first Bricks and Minifigs, a chain of stores that sells new and used Legos.
Local husband-and-wife Paul and Carrie Indelicato bought the franchise rights to bring the brand to the Richmond market and leased an outpost last week in the Colonnades West shopping center.
The upcoming shop will buy, sell and trade Legos, and is expected to be up and running in mid-December. The store occupies a 2,500-square-foot space at 10953 W. Broad St., next to the Marshalls.
As self-proclaimed AFOLs (A Lego community acronym for “adult fan of Lego”), the Indelicatos hope their shop will be a hub for local Lego enthusiasts to come together and talk blocks.
“The business model is based on not just what you can sell but also how you can give back and be part of the community. You can buy Lego anywhere, but we want you to come here and hang out,” Paul said.
The shop plans to set aside space for a community room and it will hold birthday parties and charity events that feature Legos.
The franchisees are building up their inventory through distributors as well as through their own purchase of used Legos online.
“You do a lot of buying up front. In the last four months we’ve been buying inventory on Facebook and Craigslist,” Paul said. “But (Bricks and Minifigs) corporate has also done a good job working with vendors for those official sets.”
Bricks and Minifigs is a franchised chain of stores independent of the famous Danish toy company.
“We work with the official Lego distributors and we’re considered an official Lego vendor,” Paul said.
The Indelicatos have laid claim to a local territory that includes western Henrico, Northside Richmond, Ashland and Mechanicsville. They hope to open another store or two in the next three to five years.
Paul and Carrie Indelicato are opening the region’s first Bricks and Minifigs store.
The Indelicatos’ journey to becoming Lego shop owners began in 2017 when a friend of Paul’s clued him into the existence of Bricks and Minifigs as a potential business opportunity.
Plans for a store were shelved while the Indelicatos prepared to move from Ohio back to the Richmond area in 2019, where they both grew up.
But Paul never forgot about the possibility of Bricks and Minifigs. Sensing that the pandemic was ebbing away, it seemed high time to revisit the idea.
“I always had the Bricks and Minifigs (website) bookmarked and I would check on them. They didn’t fold (during the pandemic). They did really well through the pandemic and coming into this year I thought I’d give them a call and give them a chance,” Paul said.
Bricks and Minifigs estimates that it costs $99,000 to $225,000 to establish a store, according to its website. The initial franchise fee is $25,000 and the company estimates the starting inventory will range between about $24,700 to $54,000.
Bricks and Minifigs, which opened its first store in 2010, lists on its website more than 50 stores in the United States and Canada either currently open or planned.
Paul, who has a background in retail by way of a 10-year stint with Sherwin Williams, is currently a data analyst for Markel Corp. He plans to keep that gig but handle the books for the store. Carrie will be the store manager and run the day-to-day operations.
They bring with them their love of Lego. A particular Lego favorite of Paul’s is the Voltron set, which is a model of the robot featured in the 1980s animated cartoon series of the same name.
Carrie said she didn’t have a favorite kit per se, but enjoys the modular building collection, which is a series of intricate Lego buildings. After her first son was born, the 1930s-style firehouse in the series was a welcome way to unwind and spurred her interest in the hobby.
“I had a lot of downtime when he was sleeping and napping,” she said. “It’s something to do to relax my mind. Lego is such a great toy and a great thing that people can come together and share their creativity.”
The Henrico-based store takes shape as Lego embarks on the construction of a 1.7 million-square-foot brick manufacturing facility in Chesterfield County. The company recently broke ground on the project.