24 May 2009

Cincinnati LEGO Store


Hover for controls, click to enlarge.

You heard it here first, now the new Cincinnati Lego Store is open at Kenwood Towne Centre, and it is fabulous.

Boxed sets line the left and right walls floor to ceiling. A row of portals runs down each aisle at kid-eye level. Inside each is a completed LEGO kit with an appropriate backdrop and accessories, forming a action scene.

Their selection is vast. From simple sets with few pieces for little kids, to 1000+ piece sets for ages 16 and up, costing over a hundred dollars. Most of the Cafe' Corner sets featured here on CityKin are stocked, and the Green Grocer set is on permanent display in one of the large dioramas.

In the middle of the store are display kiosks of some of their really complicated Star Wars models, and of course there's a play table next to a huge vat of bricks for kids of all ages to play with during their visit.

108 bins of both common and specialized parts cover the rear wall. Nearby dispensers provide "Pick a Brick" cups in roughly quart and pint sizes. Mix and match at will, and buy whatever you can fit into the cup for one low price.

Sales associates are extremely helpful, attentive, but not pushy, and knowledgable. They were clearly recruited for their love of all things LEGO, and then trained very well. I'm not somebody who usually likes retail excursions, but I loved shopping here.

A "Shop and Ship" touchscreen PC kiosk near the middle of the store allows you to order off the LEGO website, just like you could do at home, with one key difference. If whatever you want isn't immediately in stock, a staff member punches in a code, and it's shipped to you for free.

Sometimes I wish I could be a kid again. At this store, that wish almost comes true.

7 comments:

CityKin said...

Wow, thanks Mark.

I have to find out how you embedded that series of pictures in the post.

Randy Simes said...

You sure do love your Legos Mark.

Mark Miller said...

^That is, in fact, why I had children. I needed kids and grandkids to pass my old LEGO collection onto ;)

WestEnder said...

I don't have kids, but I did pass my LEGO set onto my cute little niece. She loved it. Now she's getting ready for college.

Cincinnati NAMjA said...

This toy is sooo timeless! Plus with the fact that you can use your imagination makes this toy one of my favs.

Anonymous said...

http://www.lego.com/en-US/architecture/default.aspx

http://www.brickstructures.com/SiteStore2.html

Anonymous said...

Lego ArchitectureLego Architecture -- buy kits in advance!