SAN DIEGO — If you're looking for a new hobby in 2024, there's a new store in Rancho Penasquitos that will buy, sell or trade your used Lego bricks. In this Zevely Zone, I visited Bricks & Minifigs.
Something must have clicked because as a child, small colorful bricks were always a big deal to Chris Davis.
"I have been a Lego fan since I was little," said Chris. Now at age 50, Chris left his old job behind. "I was in digital marketing," said Chris. When I said that job sounded kind of boring Chris agreed. "It was, ha, ha," laughed Chris.
He's now the new franchise owner of Bricks & Minifigs. "What sets us apart from the other Lego stores or like shopping for Lego at Target is that we also buy, sell, and trade used Lego," said Chris. That's when I sprinted to my car to grab my huge tub of old Lego.
"These are just sitting in my game room and my kids don't want them anymore," I said.
My next stop, Lego liaison Evan Hawn. "The first thing we are looking for is how much of this actual Lego, so for instance, this pencil topper that I would love to have in fourth grade isn't Lego, also this candy wrapper," said Evan who was looking for Lego bricks, but told me minifigs bring in the big bucks.
"This is our Star Wars section some of these Star Wars figures can go up to 200 dollars and we've sold a couple of them for like 450 dollars," said Evan.
Evan once paid a customer 150 dollars for his Lego tub, cash that the customer could pocket or shop with. You can buy a brand-new Lego set or a retired set such as a Star Wars kit that is no longer in production. The store also has old Lego masterpieces already assembled for a bargain.
Used Lego in huge troughs then becomes a treasure hunt for customers like Lance Sousa. "Well, I really like the old pirate stuff, so I like all of those," said Lance. His ship was about to come in. Waiting for him in the back of the store was a bunch of Lego Pirate Loot. "Is the Holy Grail of Lego?" I asked. Lance said, "Pretty much."
You can go off the deep end too with limited editions. "Our most expensive one is Green Arrow here who is at four thousand dollars," said Chris. "But my personal favorite is the Spider-Man. He's a mere 15 hundred."
But don't panic parents, the shop also sells bricks in bulk. A small cup of Lego sells for 8 dollars. You can even pile it on and fill a super-sized bag for 90 dollars. "You're making dreams come true," I said to Chris.
Bricks and Minifigs, where the building blocks of your childhood await. What looks like a mom-and-pop shop is actually a national chain with 80 stores across the country.
Bricks & Minifigs is located at 9881 Carmel Mountain Road in the Plaza Penasquitos Shopping Center. For more information about Bricks and Minifigs click here.