Growing up, I remember one of the first LEGO sets I had was a castle set that had a white horse. I remember playing with this set for hours, which led to my parents buying a few more sets. As I grew older, I would buy LEGO sets here and there. There is just something about building LEGOs that feels so rewarding. Matt McNeff and his brother, Ammon McNeff, both felt the same way about LEGOS. In a recent interview with Matt, who is the COO of Bricks & Minifigs, we talked about the beginnings of the franchise, grail LEGO sets, and becoming a franchisee.

Back in 2017, Matt and Ammon became franchisees of a Bricks & Minifigs location, and about a year later, the owners of the brand, David Ortiz and John Masek, asked the brothers to take over the business. “John and David were, were looking to move on. There were some health concerns and some other things going on and my brother and I had had some other business experience, and so they approached us and said, “Hey, would you guys like to help or take over the operations of the franchise and get things going that way?” and we said, “Absolutely!” We loved it, and so we took things from there, and from between then and now, we’ve just, uh, signed just past our 300th franchisee, so the system has grown quite a bit since then.”

Before having the roles they have now, the two brothers ran a store in Orem, Utah. I asked if Matt remembers the first set they sold, and seeing how his eyes lit up when talking about it was incredible. “It was awesome. There was a line of people waiting for the doors to open, and one of the very first customers in line was a gentleman by the name of Reed Cohen. He had a box of cookies there waiting for us, and he said, “It just, you know, we’re so excited.” He brought us cookies as we’re opening the business, and he said, “You know, we just want to welcome you to the neighborhood.” As for that first set that was sold, “I want to say it was either Anakin or Obi-Wan’s starfighter.”

That sense of community is missing in this digital age. With online stores letting customers click and pay for their items, Bricks & Minifigs is a more gratifying experience.  “Where else are you going to find a store where you can go and physically hold it in your hand, inspect it, and actually know what you’re buying before you buy that, that collectible piece or just that fun thing you’ve been looking for, right? It’s, it’s we offer a unique experience, customer experience, and community, frankly, as well, that just people aren’t going to find another retail location.” Also, by buying items at the store, you do not have to wait a few days for them to ship to you.

Not only can you buy new and rare sets at Bricks & Minifigs, but you can also buy individual pieces and Minifigures. “That very thing you’re talking about, somebody walks into the store and says, “Ah, I was building this with my son. Something fell behind the couch. I can’t find it anymore. Do you have that one piece?”, and we go, “yeah, we’ve got that piece.” The stores also buy “a big bucket of LEGO” from their customers and re-incorporate those pieces into their inventory. So if you ever lose a piece and think you can never complete your LEGO set, check in with a Bricks & Minifigs store.

Since 2023, Bricks & Minifigs has opened 150 stores, marking one of the most accelerated periods of growth in its history.  Through its buy, sell, and trade model, each location gives unused LEGO items a second life with new builders, demonstrating the company’s continued success as a franchise-driven, in-person retailer. The stores are authorized LEGO® resellers specializing in buying, trading, and selling LEGO® products, and will proudly surpass 300 stores in 2025. According to Matt, “We have around 230 open stores right now, and we have 300 franchisees, so we’ve still got about 70 that are waiting to open and going through the process.”

In my conversation with Matt, we talked about the sense of community. When I worked at a bookstore, many years ago, it got to a point where I knew the customers walking in by name and already knew what they wanted. The same goes with Matt and the Bricks and Minifigs philosophy, or as he called it, “the Cheers effect.” “It’s a place where people come and gather. I’ve had conversations with people you know, we’re sitting there pulling parts in the bulk tables, and we’re just talking and getting to know each other and asking about who you know, what brought you in here.” One thing I know about working in retail is that these small conversations mean a lot and turn casual customers into lifelong customers.

Another great thing about the Bricks & Minifigs location is that it is not only a LEGO store, but it is also a gathering spot. On their website, go to the location tab, enter your zip code, and a list of nearby locations will generate. Each franchisee-run location have multiple events for its customers and neighbors. “They’ll do everything from birthday parties to community building events to stop motion animation workshops and camps, or they’ll do, you know, a bricks and brews night for adults.”

If you love LEGO and want to own your own Bricks & Minifigs location, the team helps out potential franchisees. Matt and his brother don’t give you a store and say “Good Luck’, they are there to help the stores succeed. “We have them come out to Utah, which is where our headquarters are, and we do what we call a discovery day, where we, you know, meet them face to face and do some presentations.” As with anyone having a passion for something, they need to know that a lot of work comes with it, and after speaking with Matt, I can see that his passion is not only for the stores but for the community they are building. “It’s all about building community and getting people to interact around this common, shared love. We’re so isolated with our, with our technology, and, you know, Covid made that 10 times worse, and then we’re just, I think people are starting to realize more and more that we need these spaces to be people, to connect.”

As for Matt’s “grail” LEGO set to own? It’s “The Lord of the Rings: Tower of Orthanc.” Hopefully, someone sees this and gifts Matt this set.

Bricks & Minifigs

Ammon McNeff, CEO of Bricks & Minifigs, alongside his brother Matt McNeff (COO), envision a future with over 3,500 stores worldwide. The company has already expanded from the United States into Canada, where two locations are already open and are authorized to sell in Australia. With LEGO® being an international brand, Bricks & Minifigs aspires to reach even non-English speaking countries and share the creativity of LEGO® with fans around the world.