'5-4-3-2-1': Hundreds of fans cheer as the first Nebraska Lego store opens in Gretna
Hundreds of people turned out Friday morning for the opening of Nebraska's first Lego store Friday.
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. Hours after the store opened, people were still waiting to get in. Mall owner Rod Yates said it was a record turnout for a store opening at the mall.
The 2,131-square-foot store is located in a bay at the mall at Interstate 80 and Highway 6.
According to Lego officials, the store will offer special promotions, including giveaways, to celebrate.
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 five, 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."
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, IL, and New York City, the company said.
Until recently, the closest Lego stores to Nebraska were in Kansas City and Minneapolis. A Lego store opened this year in the Des Moines area. That store is located at the Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines.
The following promotions are on tap for the opening:
Sept. 21-22: I Love Lego Store tile giveaway.
Sept. 21: Lego Store set with all purchases of $120 or more.
Sept. 22-29: I Love Lego Store tote with all purchases of $50 or more.
The Lego Group is a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark.
The company was founded in 1932.
