GRETNA — Hundreds of people turned out Friday morning for the opening of Nebraska’s first Lego Store.
Some fans of the toy bricks started waiting in the wee hours of the morning. Before the doors opened at 10 a.m., the line of people weaved its way through the Nebraska Crossing shopping mall in Gretna.
The doors opened with a countdown — “5-4-3-2-1†— and cheers from the crowd. Fans were greeted by a costumed Lego character who wandered the mall posing with customers for pictures. Hours after the 2,131-square-foot store opened, people were still waiting to get in. Some estimated the crowd would exceed a thousand. Mall owner Rod Yates said it was a record turnout for a store opening at the mall at Interstate 80 and U.S. 6.
Lego Store Manager Nicole Harris said: “We are absolutely blown away,â€
“I can’t share numbers, per se, but what I can say is the community really did show us how much love they have for the Lego Store,†Harris said.
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She said shoppers have been telling the staff how badly they’ve wanted a store for a long time.
Tracy Horg of Omaha, who bought a Lego art Milky Way galaxy for her wall, said she had personally emailed the company pitching the idea of a Nebraska store to Lego officials.
“We’ve been wanting this place to come here forever,†Horg said. “We’ve been begging and begging and begging.â€
Horg said landing the store is significant for Nebraska Crossing and the community.
“This is a step in the right direction for the community because if Lego is going to come in here, then you’ve gotta know that other big stores might be on the way, too.â€
Assembling Lego sets is an anxiety reducer, she said.
“It’s like doing a puzzle, so it gets your mind off things,†she said.
Melissa Michaud of Lincoln, whose husband is “obsessed†with Lego, departed the store hauling a huge, yellow cloth Lego bag full of items, mostly birthday and Christmas gifts.
She said she was embarrassed to lug the giant bag out.
“I was having to say, ‘Excuse me, excuse me,’ pushing through all these people,†she said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’â€
Unlike online shopping, browsing in a store lets you see the tiny details inside a Lego house, castle or the Eiffel Tower, she said.
“It’s just more interactive and intriguing,†she said.
And apparently more tempting.
“I would have never bought this much online, never,†she said. “But seeing it in real life, I was like, ‘oh, well.’â€
Asked about what makes the plastic bricks so attractive, Harris, the store manager, said Lego means something different to everybody.
“Lego really lives in the hearts of the child,†Harris said. “And you can never be too big to play with Legos.â€
Zach Conner, 20, of Omaha, a student at Metro Community College, and his buddies Josh Dunn, 20, and Ethan Dickerson, 21, who attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, arrived at 3:15 a.m. Friday to secure the top three spots at the front of the line.
“The football game canceled classes down in Lincoln, so we’re like, ‘It’s destiny, we gotta go,’†Dunn said.
Dunn, a mechanical engineering major, said he got hooked on Lego when he was about 5, and Lego’s kept his interest with the introduction of more complex toys aimed at adults.
Curtis Tallent, 22, of Omaha, was near the front of the line. He said he’s been playing with Legos as long as he can remember.
“I think I just got a few as a kid, and then I was just set on those over almost anything else,†he said.
He has some Star Wars models in his collection.
He said he was just checking out the store, but if he saw something he liked he would buy it.
Rumors of a store opening surfaced more than a year ago, and ever since Lego fanatics have been eager to see it become a reality.
According to the company, customers will find “the largest range of Lego products, including many Lego retail exclusives.â€
The store features a mystery mural Lego brick building activity that gives visitors a chance to help build a mural inside the store.
A Pick & Build Wall, a wall with multiple containers of bricks, allows visitors to build while in store.
Another feature is a Build a Minifigure Tower, where visitors can create a figure by picking the pieces from the tower.
Lego’s iconic connecting bricks, first produced in 1949, have found their way into children’s toy chests and playrooms for decades.
The company sells buildable play sets and models based on history, pop culture, movies, science, nature and more.
The toys range in complexity from basic brick sets for youngsters to sophisticated models of the solar system, NASA’s Artemis Space Launch System, carnivorous plants like the Venus Flytrap, and even a replica of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night.
The addition of the Gretna store takes the total number of stores in the United States up to 123 including flagship locations in Chicago and New York City, the company said.
Until recently, the closest Lego stores to Nebraska were in Kansas City and Minneapolis. A store opened this year in the Des Moines area.Ìý
After promotions on Friday, the following promotions remain on tap:
Saturday and Sunday: I Love Lego Store tile giveaway.
Saturday: Lego Store set with all purchases of $120 or more.
Sunday to Sept. 29: I Love Lego Store tote with all purchases of $50 or more.