I Won’t Ever Buy LEGO Online Again!
No more faffing about with online orders, waiting on tardy couriers, and crossing my fingers, the box isn’t damaged in shipping. Done with all that…
Becaaaause. Becaaaaaause. Dublin now has an official LEGO shop! Thank the Gods of bricks for that! It was about fecking time. I know the Emerald Isle isn’t huge. I know that. We all know that. Especially those of us living here. In the grand scheme of things, it’s but a wee grass-covered rock in the Atlantic Ocean, but this we grass-covered rock has gone through plenty more shite than it ever deserved. The Vikings, the wankers (jk) — I mean Brits, the poTayto famine, the Good — which was anything but good — Friday agreement, the Brits again with their Brexit and the shite that stirred up, the Apple tax that Apple doesn’t really pay, and I could go on and on.
So, if for nothing else, but these reasons, Ireland, this lovely spec of dust in the Atlantic, deserves this one thing — an official LEGO store, and to answer the lovely lady’s question at the till as to what I like most about said store, is that…
It’s finally here. We have one. A childhood dream come true.
I never lived in a city with a LEGO store. Most of my LEGO purchases over the last 29 years have been in random stores and online. Often overpriced, so I turned to evil Amazon, and every time I hit the buy button, I felt like I was committing a cardinal sin. I’m exaggerating, of course, but I am a LEGO loyalist — if there is such a thing. I find the Danish toymaker’s history and story inspiring. It’s one of the last few good stories we still have. I don’t want faceless online, even if it’s 10% cheaper. I want exactly what I got today at the opening of the LEGO store in Dublin — people, fans of all ages, and LEGO staff that enjoys seeing me spend my money on plastic bricks, in the best possible way.
Andrew Gribben and I decided days before the 18th of August opening that he’ll travel down to Dublin from Northern Ireland, and we’ll turn it into a two-day hangout session. The pandemic and repeated exposure to COVID-19 in the last two years made an otherwise simple situation, into a much more complicated one. But this time, we were hell-bent on making it happen and get the LEGO store opening event in there too. We both knew what sets we wanted, and we were ready to get up as early as needed to get in by 10AM on the opening day.
Neither of us knew exactly what to expect, but LEGO... Let’s just say, this wasn’t their first rodeo, and I must congratulate everyone involved. Instead of just opening the door at 9AM, and cross their fingers it won’t turn into a stampede, we were all met with a queue system set up like clockwork.
No wristband, no entry!
Yes. Wristbands. Like at a concert. You didn’t get one? Sucks to be you, come back next week. Each wristband had an allocated time of 30 minutes, which while I admit isn’t a lot, it was more than enough for Andrew and I to pick the sets we wanted up, and wonder around the store a little while, get a feel of the place, and what’s where. Two stories, chock-full of LEGO sets, a minifig designer, a MOC area and a Pick a Brick wall, albeit not a very impressive one.
Speaking of sets, I can’t think of a single set I couldn’t find. From the 10 euro Brickheadz to the Millennium Falcon and the Titanic, I saw them all. Some I was even surprised to see, like the Back to the Future DeLorean, which were selling like hot cakes. I literally turned away 10 seconds, and the 6 sets on the shelf turned into just one, the last of which I couldn’t possibly just leave there for someone else! 🤣
The free LEGO Passport and the special Grand Opening tile just enhanced an already fantastic experience.
Although we probably didn’t spend the full 30 minutes in the store, we each walked away with a grin on our face, somewhat lighter pockets, but plenty heavy bags of sets we always wanted. Andrew went for the chess set (which I now want too) and the Ashoka Tano Brickheadz, while I splurged out on the DeLorean, The Porsche 911, Fast & The Furious Dodge Charger, Galaxy Explorer and received the promo LEGO Brand Retail Store set for free, alongside a ton of VIP points.
I’m sure there are a lot more happy people in Dublin today than yesterday. We — of all ages — got something we always wanted, and while to the rest of the world it may mean nothing, to us, LEGO fans, it means everything.
Welcome to Dublin, LEGO. 👋 🤗
Hi there! 👋
Recently, I started a new publication — Bricks n’ Brackets — dedicated to LEGO, tech and coding. It would mean a huge deal to me if you’d follow it, though only do so, if any of those topics pique your interest. You can also read more about why I started it and what my overall goal with it is. You can also join as a writer if you’d like, as long as you submit articles around those three topics. The publication also has a YouTube, Instagram and TikTok channel. Thank you, and may the gods of creativity and success guide your day!
Attila Vago — Software Engineer improving the world one line of code at a time. Cool nerd since forever, writer of codes and blogs. Web accessibility advocate, LEGO fan, vinyl record collector. Loves craft beer! Read my Hello story here!
