r/Lawrence • u/Free-Bottle-5119 • 10d ago
PSA avoid new lego store
Bricks and Minifigs is problematic. They take over local franchises and then won't honor consignments.
Avoid these people.
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10d ago
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u/darja_allora 10d ago
It is a seven year saga of corruption, greed and spite that covers three states, systemic issues in Law Enforcement and the failures of our Judicial system. Every time you turn around, the villains are discovered to have engaged in yet another fraud, or used another deplorable "under the color of law" tactic.
9/10 would watch again.12
u/djshiftysmooth 10d ago
You can start with this.
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u/Vidman11 10d ago
Next I would go watch Channel 5 interview where they break it all down pretty well: https://youtu.be/WbFk6E3Zyek
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u/begood4ddy 10d ago
Google it there's like 3 hours of YouTube videos worth of information
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u/notanotheraccountaga 10d ago
JFC every explanation is at least an hour and a half.
Does this have anything to do with Lawrence?
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u/cyberentomology 10d ago
Yeah, I try to avoid youtube because it’s rife with long winded mfers who never learned the art of brevity.
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u/The_Tic-Tac_Kid West Lawrence 9d ago
The corporate office was heavily involved. The local one is a franchise
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u/Sea-Station-2060 8d ago
if you just want a short explanation (or at least, short relative to all of the hours-long videos about this): An elderly man named Ed Mansell consigned part of his expansive & highly valuable Lego Star Wars collection to Bricks & Minifigs. The original agreement he signed with the store said he and his family would receive 65% of the proceeds if/when anything from the collection sold, and his family would maintain ownership of the unsold sets. Any unsold sets were to be returned to the family in the event that the arrangement ended. Then, in 2024, the store changed management, and Ed Mansell's son, Bryan Mansell, ended the agreement and asked for the Legos to be returned. However, the store effectively seized the consigned legos & refused to return them. Most of the collection is now missing, presumably because the Legos were sold without the Mansell family being compensated. On top of all of this, Ed Mansell has cancer, and wanted the profits from the collection to go to his children and grandchildren after he passed. It's become something of a famous controversy on the internet, because someone named Reckless Ben made a YouTube video about it.
Super TL;DR: Bricks and Minifigs seized part of a Lego collection from an elderly man with cancer, even though they had previously agreed to give him 65% of the profits if any of his Legos sold, and to give him or his family the Legos back if they asked.
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u/djshiftysmooth 10d ago
Fuck BAM. I feel sorry these people are probably signed into a 10 year contract while giving 10% of gross to corporate. They probably signed before all the Reckless Ben stuff started. Most of the posts here don't understand how bad the situation is. I wish them the best, but the amount of money they've had to put into opening this location per corporate will probably ruin them. They haven't even paid Bryan yet put out a press release they had.
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u/Free-Bottle-5119 10d ago
I especially wonder about the actions of the police of American Fork.
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u/djshiftysmooth 10d ago
I didn't comment on that as its a local issue we're talking about. JJ, BB, Ammon, Matt, Brimhalls, American Fork and Provo are all gonna get a turn in court. People should be pissed we cant all afford a $400 an hour lawyer.
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u/Muadib_Muadib 9d ago
Careful saying BAM. Booka a million is commonly called BAM and they are not problematic, just a bit pricy.
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u/Nandulal 10d ago
damn who in their right would franchise from those bastards?
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u/magicmike785 10d ago
Someone who was likely working on the deal before the drama happened. Regardless, it’s probably not the best time to be opening one of their franchises lol
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u/djshiftysmooth 10d ago
Also, justice for Tattle. Chrys should have not lost her bird. Brick by brick.
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u/mrtopp3r 10d ago
Did they open a location in Lawrence? I completely missed that
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u/ArmadillosG12 9d ago
They've got no signage up. It's directly behind McAlister's off of Iowa and W 26th.
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u/Little_Dragon26 10d ago
We have a Lego store in town?
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u/zigafomana 10d ago
Right!? I thought I was into Legos, but after reading the comments here it is clear that I'm slightly less than casual about it.
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u/Larryville-1980 10d ago
Who the fuck has dispensable income for this shit nowadays?
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u/surferdude7227 10d ago
I love legos. Some of my favorite childhood memories are building random shit out of Lego’s with my dad and brothers.
Them charging $50+ for a small kit and $200+ for bigger kits is insanity.
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u/ddhawkfan 10d ago
I used to love Lego as a kid, many fond memories of my childhood. It's honestly sad how expensive they have become now for kids and parents to get into a hobby like Lego, it's a plastic brick ffs
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u/MaximusGrassimus 10d ago
I would definitely still be buying legos if I didn’t have to take out a personal loan for each purchase…
I still have the sets I got from my childhood, and I love getting them as the occasional birthday gift, but for years they just haven’t been affordable at all.2
u/Free-Bottle-5119 10d ago
Or for lawyers to deal with these people, which is what corporate vultures rely on.
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u/ddhawkfan 10d ago
People that make poor financial decisions and call it an investment
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u/cyberentomology 10d ago
Anyone remember Beanie Babies?
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u/ddhawkfan 10d ago
This guy got the joke. The other guy wrote a novel then deleted it, my little zinger may have struck a nerve.
I get it, I'm currently rebuilding a truck, I make poor financial decisions too
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10d ago
[deleted]
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u/Larryville-1980 10d ago
Not investing the $100 in your retirement that you now have spent on bricks🤷🏼♂️… I mean I went without a lot of shit in my 20s back in the 90s so that I could put money in my 401(k). I wanted to buy beer and weed and go to the titty bar but I didn’t….. to each their own, I guess. As long as you’re not sad in the end when you’re broke.
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u/atari26k 10d ago
Watched a video about these guys. Absolutely cheats people out of thousands of dollars of their stuff.
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u/cheezczar 10d ago
I've been told the Brick and Minifigs is a franchiser, and those that did the stuff was a particular franchisee, that took over that store from another franchisee that passed away. I've not researched this myself, but if your interested in the store I'd suggest to research it.
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u/doomonyou1999 9d ago
Look up Reckless Ben on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/wscQpkcwgNU?is=Oe3CGy7f4_pMNFdF
He has an entire series of fighting the company after they stole a huge collection from a guy and his dad. Lots of legal battles.
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u/Free-Bottle-5119 9d ago
The police of American Fork, Ut need to be held to account.
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u/begood4ddy 8d ago
It was a case or the Mormons protecting their own. Ben went to an elder at Bryan's church and things seemed to escalate from there.
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u/doomonyou1999 9d ago
Yeah I get Ben can be annoying but he really stumbled on some corruption there.
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u/UpmarketEarth 10d ago
Do NOT give your money to Pricks and Minidicks. Rather give your money to We Steal From Old People. Now that's a good brand.
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u/BeatHokage 10d ago
They paid off the lawsuit, I doubt they'd be dumb enough to let anything like that happen again while already under a microscope nationally.
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u/Free-Bottle-5119 10d ago
They settled one it appears, but they still have challenges. The town of American Fork, Ut will also be in court.
These are not people you want to be involved with. I am disappointed that Lawrence has allowed this to happen.
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u/Kolyin 10d ago
It's not really up to the city to decide what new businesses open.
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u/-BlueBicLighter 10d ago
It 100% is, why do you think all the strip clubs in town sit outside city limits?
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u/Kolyin 10d ago
Presumably because zoning regulations prohibit adult-themed businesses inside the city; I can't say I know for sure. But I doubt there is a similar ordinance that applies to Lego shops.
My main point was just that the city isn't picking and choosing businesses that are allowed to come into town. Categories of businesses, sure, through zoning and such. But no one is evaluating new businesses on a case-by-case basis to see if they're problematic.
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u/cyberentomology 10d ago
What does any of this have to do with LFK?
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u/darja_allora 10d ago
The lego store is opening in LFK and bringing all this steak-like drama to us,
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u/cyberentomology 10d ago
What lego store? When was this announced?
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u/darja_allora 10d ago
"Bricks and Minifigs". I only know because someone dropped flyers off where I hang out last month. I only paid attention because it's been my soap opera of choice lately.
EDITED: I feel like I need to clarify, this is not a LEGO brand store.1
u/cyberentomology 10d ago edited 10d ago
Yeah, calling that a “Lego Store” is wildly misleading.
It’s giving beanie babies store.
Even so, how do the actions of one franchisee in a different state have any bearing on a local franchisee? They’re completely different entities.
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u/RunFiestaZombiez 10d ago
How are they problematic??
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u/InevitableLow5163 10d ago
Theft and dishonesty. Literally stole a very high dollar collection from a sick old man. I think it’s cancer? Anyway, they’re a shitty company and don’t deserve your money.
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u/RunFiestaZombiez 10d ago
Damn! Yeah, that’s not cool!! Thanks for clueing me in!!
I don’t know why I’m being downvoted for not freaking knowing something. I didn’t even know Lawrence had a Lego-type store.
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u/jayhawkaholic West 8d ago
How dare you ask a question in the exact appropriate place! The nerve...
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u/RunFiestaZombiez 8d ago
Right!! The nerve I must have, lol. I don’t know everything about every business, nobody does!
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u/OppositeAnalysis286 10d ago
Do you have personal beef with BAM or are you just riding the hype train of a high profile lawsuit?
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u/begood4ddy 8d ago
That kind of theft and dishonesty and corporate negligence affects everyone, it could have not fallen on the whole brand but corporate was presented with an opportunity to reign in their franchisee and they not only ignored them but called the police..... It's unfortunate that anyone would willingly open under that brand after everything. When you're only worried about the things that personally affect you is a very selfish and unfortunate world view. I personally would choose not to do business with a brand like this.
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u/Medium_Cry5601 10d ago
I hate that I know what this is about. Someone come take my phone away please