Bricks and Minifigs shops - Have you visited one?

[62Bricks]

I recently visited a Bricks and Minifigs store in Beaverton, Oregon. It's a shop that sells new and used LEGO sets, loose pieces and minifigs. There are only a few of them in the US right now, but they are a franchise trying to expand. Has anyone else visited one of these shops? What did you think? Is anyone here a regular customer?

On the day I went they had several discontinued sets on display, still in sealed boxes. The prices seemed to be about in line with collectible prices for some of the more desirable, larger sets. They also had several smaller, more recent sets from themes that are not as in demand. These seemed to be priced about the same as original retail.

At the counter, under glass, were several minifigs. This seems to be the main attraction for customers, as this was where most of them went to upon first walking in. They had most of the CMF figures, with the prices generally higher than you'd pay on Bricklink even figuring in shipping costs.

They also sell complete used sets, which are assembled and displayed on shelves. I didn't look at the prices for those.

In the center of the shop are two large tables, one filled with loose building pieces and the other filled with minifig parts. You can build your own minifig of 5 pieces (legs, torso, head, hair or headpiece, and one accessory) for $3, or get four for $10. That price is slightly lower than at the LEGO stores, but the pieces are used of course. Also, since complete minifigs seem to be their best seller, I suspect all the most desirable parts are not dumped on the table but are kept to complete figs. On the day I was there the selection was kind of weak, with lots of very common accessories and parts. I found some broken pieces, too, and several torsos with missing hands or arms. Still, my young nephew built some figs he really liked.

The loose building parts are sold either in bulk or as single pieces. They are not sorted, but jumbled together on a table. The pricing for individual pieces was kind of vague - there's a sliding scale from five cents upward based on the size of the piece. I suppose you have to ask the clerk the price for a certain piece, as the chart only has a few examples. You can also buy pieces in bulk, but the price seemed very high to me. A plastic bag of about 1 quart in size is $20. The number of pieces out for sale was not large enough that you'd expect to find a large quantity of a certain piece or color. Most of the pieces were in very good condition, but there were a few that looked well-used, with scuffs and scratches.

It's a great idea, but the overhead of keeping a brick-and-mortar shop open means the prices are higher than market value for good, used LEGO pieces. They are even higher than new pieces from the PAB wall at the mall down the road. As someone who is more interested in pieces than sets and minifigs, it's not a shop I'd be likely to frequent. The minifig prices are higher than Bricklink, but comparable to what they bring on eBay.

[plew2000]

Interesting, I never new that there where shops like that. Unfortunately I will most likely never go to one due to how far they are from where I live, the nearest one would be 5 hours nonstop driving to get there. The design your own mini figure part looks amazing, imagine bringing 20$ USD, and for three dollars each..uh.. that would be...somewhere around 6.6 mini figures. Sounds like a deal!

[Super Goblin]

My brother actually just opened one up in Elizabethtown, KY. I think thy are great. If you are looking for some older sets they are the place to go to. They are great for trading in extras of minifigs and sets as well. They also sell Brickforge and Brickarms so you don't to deal with shipping prices.

[62Bricks]

My brother actually just opened one up in Elizabethtown, KY. I think thy are great. If you are looking for some older sets they are the place to go to. They are great for trading in extras of minifigs and sets as well. They also sell Brickforge and Brickarms so you don't to deal with shipping prices.

Cool - I forgot to mention there was a rack of Brickarms products at the one in Beaverton, too.

[fossil1999]

Nope, I have never visited one.

Too bad these shops do not have an online store-its cheaper(but then you have to deal with shipping(!)).

I hope they get on well.

[BirdOPrey5]

Never even heard of them before. Will see if any show up around here.

[HawkLord]

We just visited Bricks and Minifigs in Beaverton, OR and I was a but disappointed.

The selection of sets were basically leftovers from the past couple years with the usual markup prices. They had a parts bin for Minifigs and bricks, but most of the pieces were in varying shapes of condition. Some of the face printing was faded or scratched.

The main attraction and probably their best money-maker was all the CMFs and various other Minifigs behind the counter. All were marked at the usual eBay prices, but being able to assess their condition in the store helped. As I looked through the displays, I was shocked to see a Star Wars Death Star for $500, when it's still being sold at the mall's Lego store down the street for $400. Shameful.

Also the brickforge stuff like the guns and centaur kits were pretty cool, but as a Lego purist, I passed.

Edited July 22, 2014 by Hawkman