June 23, 2010
LEGO Store opens at Rockefeller Center
On Thursday morning the new LEGO Store at Rockefeller Center will open its doors and reveal a stellar display of iconic New York City scenes rendered in plastic bricks by skilled, clever minds.
Plus, they sell LEGOs.
Rock Center-inspired LEGO murals adorn the walls, including Zeus and a pair of relics. Atlas gets his own prominent pedestal in one corner. Peek-a-boo dioramas feature landmarks such as the United Nations and Statue of Liberty, as well as the Fifth Avenue Apple Store with a line of people snaking out its door.
The centerpiece is a massive Rockefeller Center replica at the top of the stairs. It’s filled with a “Where’s Waldo”-style crush of LEGO people and details that demand prolonged examination. The builders took a few liberties with the locations of buildings, but there are some remarkably clever touches, including the landscaped roof garden that are normally closed to the public, a skating Prometheus, and a crowd pressed against the windows of the “Today” show studio. The Magnolia Bakery building is also there. But since LEGO Master Builders are only allowed to use pieces that are available to the public — no custom-engineered pieces — Magnolia has a croissant on the window ledge instead of a cupcake.
Three LEGO Master Builders (there are 40 total who travel the world building specialized LEGO projects) spent about six to eight weeks designing the project on the company’s proprietary software and then assembling the work in Enfield, Conn. The pieces were bright to Rockefeller Center, where they’ve been installed during the past two weeks, Julie Stern, a brand relations manager for LEGO, told NewYorkology during a tour of the store Wednesday.
The store soft opens Thursday at 10 a.m. with the grand opening scheduled for July 1. Starting June 29, the public will be invited to help the Master Builders construct a 16-foot tall, 12-foot wide, 2-1/2 ton big apple in the plaza outside the store. Construction is scheduled to reach completion by 3 p.m. Thursday for the official grand opening.
The newest LEGO Store houses the company’s biggest Pick-A-Brick wall, with 116 bubbles filled with individual LEGO pieces including hard-to-find pink and clear bricks, fences, flowers, windows, doors, palm leaves and wheels. You can mix and match as many as you like until a small cup is filled up for $7.99 or a large for $14.99.
There are actually 263 bubbles in all, filled as high to the ceiling, but everything above adult eye level is just for show.
The Toys R Us in Times Square had a Pick-A-Brick wall for a few years, but “it didn’t work for them,” Stern said. Now, the feature is only in LEGO stores.
The LEGO Store’s arrival will put no restrictions on either either Toys R Us or nearby FAO Schwarz , which both house large sections and bigger-than-life LEGO structures. Instead of competition, Stern said, those stores will likely see an increase in sales. “When we open a LEGO Store, all boats rise,” she said.
The 3,000 square foot store is spread over two floors at 520 Fifth Ave., closest to the entrance of the ice skating rink. The location was last occupied by Brookstone, which has recently opened a large store at 49th Street and Sixth Avenue.
The LEGO Store’s upper level has a play area, LEGOs and Master Builder Bar with computers and printers. The computers will allow customers to shop and ship, print out specialized building instructions, or design their own LEGO kit and have it custom made. (Design By Me is also available online.) The upstairs area will also be used for birthday parties.
On Saturdays, the store will open one hour early for “LEGO Club,” a one-hour session for up to 25 kids (ages 6 to 14 only) to get expert construction help and basically have the store to themselves before the public is allowed in at 10 a.m. One time at LEGO Club costs $25 and reservations can be made at the store.
On the first Tuesday of every month, the first 250 kids in the store will get a free exclusive building. And sorry, kid-at-heart or kid-at-home doesn’t count. The Tuesday giveaway is only for kids ages 6 to 14 who are in the store.
The LEGO Store in Rockefeller Center will carry two only-in-New York items: a red apple with removable core for $9.99, and a “I (heart) NY” shirt made with a Lego brick for $14.99.
Later this year, LEGO will unveil another New York City-themed LEGO Architecture set, like it did with the Guggenheim Museum in 2009. Her hint: the new set will be a New York City landmark located close to the Rockefeller Center LEGO Store.
As it turns out the Rockefeller Center location is not the first LEGO Store for New York City. The Elmhurst LEGO Store soft opened two weeks ago at the Queens Center mall, Stern said. However, its grand opening celebration is scheduled for July 9 through 11, with giveaways there, too.
Picture credits: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.
Earlier: Lego repairs come to NY Public Library, Central Park
June 23, 2010 9:11 PM in Architecture, Cheap Stuff, Kids, Midtown, Shopology, Sightsology
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