In the world of LEGO, everything is awesome and cool when you’re part of a team. Gregory Williams is hoping to carve his place in downtown Plant City with Brick City Bricks, his new used LEGO store.
While the shop will feature everything from Minifigures to LEGO modulars, Williams said he is hoping to transform the establishment into a destination for his community. Only half of the building is dedicated to inventory, though the red, blue and yellow shelves hold hundreds of unique product.
The back half of the establishment has been converted into a party room where children’s birthday parties, adult game nights, master builder seminars and camps can be held year-round. Never one to back down from a challenge, Williams plans on having his grand opening March 16 and 17, but will throw open the door from March 12 to 15 for spring break camps.
“When kids have walked in here their jaws have just dropped,” Williams said. “They keep using the word ‘awesome,’ just like that song in the LEGO movie. And it is, it’s awesome.”
Williams began collecting LEGO approximately six years ago. After around two years, he started selling his purchases at an online store. He said he saw great investment potential in buying products from the largest toy company on the planet. Plus, he said the toys themselves are a lot of fun.
For years, his home was flooded with colorful bricks. He and his wife eventually decided to look around for a location in town where they could start selling the product to the community they cherish. When an opening was available in the heart of downtown, Williams said they jumped at the opportunity.
Brick City Bricks features many retired sets, Minifigures modulars, individual parts and more. If you want something Williams doesn’t have, you can tell him and he will “go on the hunt.” He also knows that many in Plant City have loved ones who live out of state. If you order an item from his store, he will wrap it and have it shipped himself. To add to the experience, the LEGO movies will be playing at all times on a TV in the shop.
Supporting his community is a major goal for Williams. He said he plans to begin to partner with local schools to offer an incentive program for students, work with hospitals to have LEGO Christmas events and wants to begin working with veterans, a cause he holds dear to his heart in part due to his own military service.
In the 1990s, Williams owned a baseball card shop in Plant City and would do trading nights once a week. He wants to implement that idea with Minifigures at the LEGO store and start offering more events to help in the movement to draw people downtown. He’ll be doing demonstrations at the Florida Strawberry Festival and plans on building a giant Plant City strawberry water tower for the 2019 event.
For the grand opening, the first 50 customers on Friday and Saturday will receive giveaways and those who spend $25 will be entered into a drawing for either $100 gift cards to LEGOLAND or two passes to the theme park.
He said he hopes having this unique store in Plant City will help spark local children’s imagination and encourage future projects, like potentially a LEGO robotics class, in town.
“With LEGO you can do anything,” Williams said. “It’s imagination. You can run wild. When kids walk in here they go straight to our build table and just start putting pieces together. They can be imaginative and build their own creations.”