A childhood passion for building with Legos has led an Alexandria resident down an unexpected career path.
Dylan Blanco expects to open Bricks & Minifigs, a Lego resale store, in Old Town in early October. The store will open at 110 N. Royal Street, directly west of City Hall. A grand opening celebration is planned for November.
Bricks & Minifigs is not an official Lego corporate store, but rather an independent specialty retail store that sells Legos (bricks) and the small Lego people and animals (minifigs).
Nearby locations include Woodbridge, Falls Church and Herndon. A store is opening in Leesburg this fall.
“Where we differ from official Lego stores is that we’re able to sell retired stuff, including things Lego hasn’t sold for a few years,” Blanco told ALXnow.
In addition, he can buy used complete sets and buckets of Legos from local residents. His store can also work with Lego-related businesses such as Battle Bricks.
“I’ve been building Legos since I was maybe 7 years old,” he said. He enjoyed the City series as a kid and also had fun with Lego SpongeBob SquarePants, a collaboration between Lego and Nickelodeon.
Legos, once considered children’s toys, have grown up in the past few decades, becoming an all-ages activity with increasingly complex builds and themed series. Now, Blanco is most interested in Lego Star Wars and Lego Architecture sets for the challenge they present.
“I’ve always loved Legos and it’s a dream to own a Lego store and to share my knowledge with the community around here,” Blanco said.
Blanco graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in sports management and has a master’s degree in human resources management. He was an intern on Capitol Hill when his father, Jim, brought up the idea of a Bricks & Minifigs store last fall. Finding the right location and building out the 2,400-square-foot store has taken a bit longer than expected, Blanco said.
The venture has become a family affair: Jim is helping with operations and Blanco’s mom, Kathy, a former teacher, is heading up events and birthday parties. Families will be able to bring in their own food and drinks, and kids will be able to play with a Lego racecar track.
The store will be open daily from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., and open as early as 8 a.m. on Saturdays during the Old Town Farmers’ Market.
There are more than 300 Bricks & Minifigs stores nationwide. The first opened in 2010 in Battle Ground, Wash.
