Specialty toy store plans to open this weekend

A specialty toy store devoted to Lego bricks is poised to open this weekend in the Queen City.

Feb. 18 is the planned opening day for the Springfield shop of Bricks & Minifigs, a nationwide chain of stores where customers can buy, sell and trade new and used Lego pieces, sets and minifigures. Phil Vice and his wife, Tiffany, are franchisees of the shop at 1570 E. Battlefield Road, Ste. E, in the Galleria shopping center. The Vices operate the business through Miami Vice LLC, according to the secretary of state’s office.

“You can bring your old stuff in that you don’t want anymore and can swap it for something different or take the cash,” Phil Vice said.

Vice said the Springfield shop will be just the second in Missouri, adding the other is in the St. Louis suburb of O’Fallon. He said the couple invested $200,000 in startup costs, which included a $25,000 franchise fee. The Bricks & Minifigs website notes franchisees can expect a total investment ranging $99,120-$225,075 per store. Additionally, the couple signed a five-year lease for an undisclosed rate with Warren Davis Properties LLC, Vice said.

While Bricks & Minifigs isn’t owned by the Lego Group, Vice said the resale franchise is able to order Lego products directly from the Denmark-based company. Many of the used products likely will come from customers, he said.

“Lego doesn’t have a real big interest in franchising out, so they’re fine with Bricks & Minifigs taking the lead on that, as they see it as another outlet for their products,” he said. “It’s a place that also is more of a way in the community to drum up interest.”

The 3,000-square-foot store will employ five, Vice said, noting aside from Lego sets and minifigures, it offers a bulk table that has loose pieces from which customers can fill a cup or bag starting at $6. A party room also will be available to rent out for birthdays and other occasions, he said.

Vice, who spent the past 11 years working for disaster emergency response companies, said he was looking for a career change that would allow him to stop traveling and spend more time at home with his wife and son. His past employment has included work with Switzerland-based humanitarian aid organization Medair and Portland, Oregon-based Medical Teams International. He said his wife continues to work at Mercy Hospital Springfield as an X-ray technician.

“We were trying to think of something to do, knowing that we wanted to start a business of our own in Springfield. I was up in Oregon and saw one of the Bricks & Minifigs shops up there,” he said, noting he was inspired to bring the concept to town.

The company opened its first shop in 2010 and has nearly 60 locations in the U.S., with another 23 listed as coming soon, according to its website.

Vice said launching multiple Bricks & Minifigs stores in the Springfield area isn’t in the immediate plans.

“I’m not sure we’d see the need for opening up a second location in Springfield,” he said. “Depending on how this one goes, we would love to explore the option of a second location somewhere else outside of Springfield.”