BrickResales: Judy Friedman opens unique Lego store at Coopers Plains
Today marks a new era for southeast Qld Lego lovers, as the self-confessed ‘geek’ behind a beloved reselling website opens her first store – SEE THE VIDEO.
Southeast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Southeast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The fleeing of a domestically violent relationship in 2008 kicked off an incredible 13-year journey for Albany Creek woman Judy Friedman, who quit her PR job to look after her kids and focus on her true passion: Lego.
That journey saw her start by selling friends’ Lego for small commissions on eBay, ramp up her operations with popular monthly events in church- and school-halls, then, finally, unveil her first brick-and-mortar store in the Brisbane southside suburb of Coopers Plains on Friday.
BrickResales, which takes its name from Ms Friedman’s hugely popular website and events, will celebrate its new life at 836 Boundary Rd with a massive sale this weekend, with all money raised from the $5 door price going to domestic violence charity RizeUp.
Ms Friedman, who described herself as a “Lego geek for 100 of my 51 years” said, despite the havoc wrought on businesses due to COVID-19, it was actually the pandemic which helped her to “take the plunge” and open her new store.
“Our events, which could see 2000 people in four hours, were just not costworthy with social distancing,” she told the Southern Star.
“I missed the community, the people and the interactions.
“The community side of Lego is mind-blowing.
“This store is like a permanent event for us.”
Ms Friedman said it was 2010, two years after the split from her fex-husband, when she started selling her and her friends’ Lego on eBay.
“One of my sons lives with ASD. I was doing PR in the city but I needed to leave for my family,” she said.
“I didn’t have enough money, my kids and I were on food handouts, so I just started sorting through bulk lots of Lego and developed a business model to put bread on the table.
“I started in my garage, as people do, before moving to small church halls with 19 trestle tables. We quickly outgrew that.”
Then, when COVID-19 struck, BrickResales “pivoted” to an e-commerce strategy, revamping its Facebook and website to cater for the influx of orders.
“It’s been an interesting journey. I never wanted to just sit back,” Ms Friedman said.
“There was a fire in my belly which said ‘do better’.”
Despite her extraordinary success in her e-commerce and now bricks-and-mortar venture, Ms Friedman has never forgotten where she came from.
She has raised more than $50,000 for RizeUp, who she said helped her through a dark time in her life, and other charities through gold-coin entry price at her monthly events.
Now that her events have morphed into the store, she plans to hold monthly Lego raffles to continue supporting her “friends” at RizeUp.
BrickResales sells loose Lego for $5 per 100g and also has a variety of complete sets for sale, as well as free instruction booklets for people who want to create on the cheap.
The showroom contains dozens of tubs full of bricks, both mixed and colour-coded, as well as myriad mind-blowing displays for inspiration.
What is the rarest brick one might come across at BrickSales?
According to Ms Friedman, they are four brown Lego Technic pieces which only come in the collector’s edition R2D2 Star Wars droid.
“They retail for about $30 each and they are the bane of everyone’s lives,” she said.
But her rare finds aren’t necessarily Lego-related.
One time, a large tub of loose pieces she had purchased second-hand contained a live bullet hidden within.
Another box revealed a buried envelope containing $1000.
“I handed it back, of course,” Ms Friedman laughed.
Book your ticket to this weekend’s opening showcase here.
MORE BRISBANE NEWS
Popular Mexican takeaway reveals plans for next Brisbane site
Brave mum lifts shirt to share breast cancer battle scar
A Redland Bay mum is helping to remove the stigma around breast removal surgery and has lifted her shirt to bare a 10cm scar from a lifesaving operation after a breast cancer diagnosis.
‘Deputy dog Miles will have to take the hit’: Early voting surprise
Voters in two southeast Queensland state electorates have surprised polling station workers, as many expressed scepticism over Labor’s election promises. VOTER VIDEO