Lines formed across from Newberry Square at 6 a.m. Saturday as LEGO fans gathered in sub-50 degree weather to watch the doors open to a new location of Bricks & Minifigs.
The store caters to fans by offering the opportunity to trade old LEGOs and buy individual pieces in addition to selling popular sets.
Kurt Kazlauskas, a 49-year-old pediatric nurse, opened the franchise location of the nationwide chain after visiting other stores on a baseball trip with his son. Grateful for the community support, Kazlauskas said he felt overwhelmed with emotion at the large lines waiting to enter.
“The store is a visual experience,” he said. “Even if you don’t wanna buy any LEGOs, you wanna come in and check this out because it’s something to see.”
Upon entering the store, located across the street from the Oaks Mall, customers were greeted by multiple Swamp-specific LEGO structures, including a figure of Tim Tebow and a LEGO alligator holding a spear in its mouth.
The store features a plethora of sets on its walls, along with stations to create custom flower bouquets and minifigures.
The large inventory of LEGOs caters to many different fan bases. Cases display around 3,500 minifigures of characters from franchises like “The Office” and different figures of LEGO’s Collectible Minifigures Series.
Zak Kazlauskas, an 18-year-old Gainesville High School student, worked behind the counter at the grand opening of his dad’s store. Kyle Pinter, another Gainesville High School student and longtime friend of Zak Kazlauskas’, also pitched in at the opening.
“I’m a little nervous,” Pinter said before the store opened. “There’s a lot of people outside, but I think it’s going to be a good time. We have a good crew to help us.”
Kurt Kazlauskas also had help from out-of-town family in preparing for the grand opening. His mother, 73-year-old retiree Deb Kazlauskas, drove over from her home in St. Augustine to help source inventory.
“I’m excited for my son,” she said. “This is kind of a dream come true for him.”
The opening attracted builders from all age groups. Children and working professionals alike waited their turn to see what the location had to offer.
Hayden Polk, an 11-year-old student at Bronson Elementary and avid Star Wars fan, has been a LEGO builder since his fifth birthday. Hayden said he was especially excited about the possibility of finding older, discontinued LEGO sets.
“I’m looking for my favorite character,” he said, “General Grievous, a special edition from 2009.”
Polk wasn’t the only Star Wars fan present. Amanda Kelecy, a 37-year-old who works at the UF Lastinger Center for Learning, said she was excited for the opening and the opportunity to find retired sets and trade in old ones.
Wearing earrings resembling Disney characters as LEGO minifigures, Kelecy looked to expand her wide-ranging collection, which includes Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Disney sets. Kelecy and her boyfriend bond over their mutual love of LEGO sets, she said, and often build them together on weekends.
Bringing down the event’s median age, brothers 5-year-old William Ospino and 8-year-old Timothy Ospino said they like to build LEGOs together. Timothy prefers to build without instructions, using just his imagination to create structures, he said, because the hobby allows him to be creative.
“We usually build towers,” Timothy said, “and he likes to have, like, a patio with a slide on the roof.”
To celebrate the opening, Niki Loheit, a Season 5 contestant from the Fox reality TV series “LEGO Masters,” traveled from Clermont, Florida, to delight LEGO fans. She shared her love for LEGOs, took pictures with guests and announced the winners of raffles for free sets.
Loheit began building LEGOs after her children asked her to help them put together their LEGO City, she said. It wasn’t long before her collection grew larger than her children’s.
Loheit is passionate about LEGO as a hobby but also as an art, she said.
“It’s used in a lot of different types of therapies, including the elderly,” she said, “those who are non-verbal, it helps them to really have a way they can continue to create with their hands.”
More than building sets, Loheit said she feels that LEGOs build community.
Bricks & Minifigs is located at 1281 NW 78th Blvd and will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with adjusted weekend hours. On Saturdays, the store will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sundays, it’ll be open from 12 to 6 p.m.
Ariana Pedraza is a contributing writer for The Alligator.
