This week, Collierville will be saying “Hello!” to a business that waved goodbye to the Arlington/Lakeland area on May 31. Bricks & Minifigs – a toy shop for buying, selling and trading Lego products – is moving to a larger space at the Carriage Crossing Mall.
Owners Mark and Patty Guttensohn say they will have a formal ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. June 30 and then open their doors to customers at 10 a.m. on July 1. They will have giveaways to the first 100 customers through the doors on Saturday, and they will offer different prizes during the day. Those who attend Carriage Crossing’s movie night on June 30 also will be eligible to enter to win a free birthday party at Bricks & Minifigs.
“Our grand opening will be pretty big,” Mark said. “We’ve got some live action heroes and bad guys possibly that will be here. The Batmobile should be here – the Bluff City Batman should be coming out.”
The store is part of a chain of more than 30 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Its name refers to the Lego building blocks (“bricks”) and the brand’s small plastic articulated figurines (known as “minifigures,” “minifigs” or just “figs”).
The Guttensohns said they enjoyed having the store in their home city of Lakeland for the past three years, but they now want a space with more foot traffic.
“We were thinking: ‘Time for a move,’” Mark said.
As luck would have it, the mall was the first to extend an invitation. One of the owners of the Carriage Crossing’s management company visited their store for a birthday party and was impressed enough to send a sales rep back to the store with a mall flier.
The couple were impressed in return. Mark said, “It looked really promising.”
Mall management is enthusiastic about their pending arrival.
“We’re always excited to welcome new retailers to Carriage Crossing,” said Susan Eads, general manager of Carriage Crossing. “Bricks & Minifigs brings more variety and activities to the center. We’re known for our safe, family-friendly atmosphere, and we’re proud to further that reputation with this destination for family fun.”
The Guttensohns’ store was already attracting a diverse group of customers, including international Lego enthusiasts who go out of their way to include Bricks & Minifigs as a must-see stop when they pass through Tennessee. They see a wide range of adults and children in the store, and they also go to the comic conventions to get the word out.
“We have a lot of loyal customers,” Patty said. “They are so awesome – they stay all day. We love them!”
The Collierville move is letting the couple grow their sales floor from 1,400 square feet to about 2,600. Now they will be able to stock many more pre-built sets and more minifigs. They are expanding their overall selection, and their party room will be larger. They also are now partnering with Bricks 4 Kidz, a Bartlett-based business, to run their camps, classes and birthday parties.
Patty said, “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun in the coming year.”
One employee has moved on to college, and three of the Bricks & Minifigs employees are staying with the store in its new location. A nephew is helping out this summer, but the Guttensohns say they will be hiring in the future.
For customers new to Bricks & Minifigs, they also want to let people know that they will buy Lego bricks and minifigs from customers.
“It’s kind of good for the community,” Patty said, “because people can bring in their Legos they don’t want anymore, and they can get new Legos.”
Bricks & Minifigs’ new address is Carriage Crossing 4650 Merchants Park, Ste 808, Collierville (near the Finish Line shoe store). The store’s phone number is (901) 484-0992. Hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. For more information about the store, visit bricksandminifigs.com and select the location, email [email protected], or call (901) 207-3007.
