Walking to the newly opened Lego Store on a Sunday during a Nebraska Football Game, I expected a relatively quiet and quick trip. Upon arrival, shockingly, what I first noticed when I arrived was the line of 20 or so people outside the store, all of them waiting for a chance to enter. The store, filled with people, was easily the most crowded one at the Nebraska Crossing Outlet Mall.
As I was waiting, Barad-Dur, the massive Fortress of Sauron towered at me from the ground up, and two large macaws, a technical marvel built entirely of Legos, greeted me by the entrance.
In September, a long-awaited new development came to Omaha. Finally, Lego opened a store near the city. Housed in Nebraska Crossing, a shopping mall in Gretna around a half hour from downtown, the new Lego Store offers a diverse array of sets and activities for customers to participate in on their visit.
When I entered the store, I was met with a nice, open space, with sets I would’ve dreamed of lining the shelves on the corners. These were indented displays of the largest and most impressive sets, ranging from a Lego cat to some flowers, to an X-Wing Fighter. I caught myself staring at Jabba’s Sail Barge, marveling at the detailed exterior and eclectic minifigures.
The store took great pains to mix old with new. For example, the reliably heavy-handed sellers, like Star Wars, City, and Duplo were within easy view for anyone waiting in line or entering the store. In contrast, among Lego’s newest acquisitions, many large Fortnite exhibits dominated the store, bringing to attention a new brand Lego has been taking great leaps to promote.
While the sets were undeniably impressive, the real attraction, I thought, was the many little activity stations that dotted the store’s space.
The first of these was the building stations. Relatively empty save for four or five kids, these stations were a table with large tubs filled with Lego bricks with kids to build whatever their hearts desired. I tried to build a small car but gave up after I couldn’t find enough wheels and settled for a unicycle.
Another building station was near the front, identical except it only had Lego Duplo in the tubs, Lego’s larger bricks were marketed to younger children and toddlers as an alternative.
However, the definite main attraction was the large Build-Your-Own Minifigure station in the back. Here, for ten dollars, you could build three custom minifigures. Thousands of heads, torsos, hairpieces, legs, and accessories lay in a large circular tub display. The area was so packed with people that there was nearly a line to this station too. Minifigures assembled ranged from copies of the builder to delightfully creative characters that I would’ve never thought to have put together.
This display embodied Lego’s message as a whole. You don’t need to make what is intended by the set or instructions. You can make whatever wonderfully weird creations come out of your head, and your imagination is the only limit when it comes to these toys.
Finally, glancing around, the target audience didn’t seem to be restrained to the young kids that we usually think of with Legos. Instead, large and technically intricate builds like large architectural buildings, or even something as bizarre as a working Lego Radio were abundant, sets that most kids wouldn’t think of picking. The Build-Your-Own Station also consisted of almost as many adults as children.
In the end, the Lego Store is finally open in Omaha, and business is booming. However, the store is more than a place to obtain more Legos. It’s an experience to be had, one that transcends generations and shows that anyone can tap into that childlike joy that Lego fuels in all of us.