New State College Area Store to Offer All Things Lego

Lego enthusiasts will soon have a new State College area store where they can build their collections.

Bricks & Minifigs Happy Valley, 317 Benner Pike in the Benner Pikes Shops plaza, will hold a grand opening from noon to 7 p.m. on Aug. 15.

The local franchise owned by State College native Zachary Barlow will offer new and used sets and pieces, trades and event space.

Bricks & Minifigs will have new, in-box sets currently being sold by Lego, retired sets no longer being produced by the company and pre-built sets, Barlow said.

“We’ll have a nice wall with an assortment of pre-built sets that people can pick and buy at varying price points, a decent bit lower than what their boxed counterparts would be,” he said.

The store will also offer loose bulk pieces, with multiple tables filled with bricks for customers to find the specific pieces they need to build their projects.

Builders will also find plenty of mini-figures, with pieces to create their own and a wide assortment of IP characters such as those from Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Harry Potter and Ninjago.

“We have a decent bit of those so you can actually come in and buy the specific collector’s minifig series that you were looking for,” Barlow sad. “If there is one that you are hunting for and you don’t want to keep kind of chancing with those blind boxes… you can come in and get the specific one you were looking for.”

Aside from official Lego-produced items, Bricks & Minifigs will have pieces from third-party vendors, as well.

“A lot of those are going to be custom, so specifically printed minifigs that are maybe a little more detailed than some of the ones that Lego has released or minifigs of characters that Lego just won’t touch,” Barlow said. “I got from one vendor a couple Eagles, specifically Saquon Barkley. We have so many things with him. Bryce Harper from the Phillies. I got Paul Skenes and then also TJ Watt. But, then along with that, we also have some custom sets, again like the minifigs, of things that Lego just hasn’t actually created or isn’t something that they will necessarily design.”

A trade desk, meanwhile, will allow customers to bring in their old or new Lego to be evaluated and receive an offer for store credit or cash.

In addition to the products for sale, Bricks & Minifigs will have a party room available for birthday parties and other group gatherings.

A 2012 State High grad and 2017 Penn State alumnus, Barlow’s enthusiasm for Lego that started as a child set him on the path to opening the new store when he learned about Bricks & Minifigs about four years ago.

“I was getting tired of pretty much having to source anything for my own collection from the big box stores, or just generally kind of trying to hunt something down online, from eBay BrickLink, the various sources there,” he said. “So it was actually me just searching and trying to find another new place that carries Lego that I could possibly get some cool new stuff, new to me. I came across Bricks and Minifigs, and at the time there actually weren’t any in Pennsylvania. From there, I just started bouncing around that idea.

“By doing this, it was a way that I found to be able to kind of give back to and be a part of that community, while also attempting to share something that I love with that community.”

Barlow credited the local contractors, including Vision Building and Remodeling, for helping him to develop a space that fosters community and creativity.

“Our focus is just to be able to offer somewhere that people want to come, not even necessarily just to buy Lego, but even just a place where they feel comfortable and just happy to be,” he said.

He added that he has had a positive community reception for the store, most notably from another Lego seller in the area: Bellefonte Brick Studio.

“They have probably given me one of the better receptions overall,” Barlow sad. “They have been very, very open and equally excited I am joining that community as well, and just offering another option.”

Following its grand opening, Bricks & Minifigs Happy Valley, which is located next to Harbor Freight, will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For updates, visit the store’s Facebook and Instagram accounts