St. George Bricks and Minifigs store opening draws record-breaking Lego-loving crowd

ST. GEORGE — When more than 1,600 people showed up for a grand opening for a St. George store that specializes all things Lego, it effectively broke the record for the most people at a Bricks and Minifigs on opening day.

Plot twist: Not all customers were children. Not even most of them.

Bricks and Minifigs has over 300 locations nationwide, allowing people to buy, sell and trade new and used Lego bricks. In fact, bringing in old sets that may or may not have been opened is highly recommended. Bits and pieces, including old bricks and Lego people body parts, are also accepted because they keep the store's inventory stocked.

Customers can also build their own minifig (mini Lego figure) from new and/or old parts and accessories to make a unique figure to take home.

Store franchise owner Michelle Erekson told KSL that opening the store was as much about building Lego as it was about building community.

"We moved to St. George five years ago from Boise, and we had a local Lego store that was down the street," Erekson said. "It was a place where we had birthday parties and made memories. It was a huge part of our community, and we loved it.

"When my husband got a job opportunity in St. George, the first thing we said was, 'Where's the Lego community?' There was nothing down here. From that point on, we said that we needed this for the community."

The Lego community is skyscraper high, and not the type built with tiny toy bricks. In fact, popular Lego trade company BrickLink has over 1 million members, and in recent years, a group for adult Lego enthusiasts known as AFOLs (Adult fans of Lego) has formed globally.

Erekson said seeing people from all ages come to the grand opening reminded her of what she loves so much about the community. She also said she is grateful to the community in southern Utah for its support.

"We asked corporate what was the most people they ever had to a grand opening, and they said 1,600, and I said, 'OK, we can beat it! If there's any community that can do this, it's St. George,'" she said. "I had no idea how many people would show up. And to see the line that kept going around the building. People showed up at 7 a.m. and were there for several hours."

Joey DeGraaf, of Cedar City, brought his family down for the event. He said Lego wasn't a part of his childhood, but when he started building with his kids, that's when the magic happened.

"What happened for me was, I was buying Lego (bricks)s for my kids because ... I never really had that opportunity as a child," DeGraaf said.

Spending time with his kids building Lego led to building them on his own. It then morphed into a hobby that DeGraaf said has been very therapeutic.

"I'm going to be 50 this year," he said. "If you Google Lego and therapy, you're going to find a bunch of information about how beneficial it is.

"The demographic for Lego has really shifted from just being a kid's toy to being something that means even more to adults. Ten years ago, I went to a Bricks and Minifigs, and I was just blown away. It's basically like a pawn shop for Lego. It's a way for people to recycle all of these bricks and everything. I was just bummed that we didn't have anything in southern Utah, and when I heard that they were opening one in St. George, I knew I wanted to be a part of it."

Erekson said that the healing power of Lego also played a large role in her family's decision to open the Bricks and Minifigs franchise. She also said that seeing the large turnout at the grand opening confirmed to her that all the hard work was worth it.

"My husband is a palliative care physician, working with a lot of patients who are near the end of their life," Erekson said. "Building Lego is a big de-stressor at the end of the day (for him). ... It was just amazing to see people support us and to see their love of Lego."

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