RE: SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN OPERATIONS ON MAY 8, 2026 AFFECTING REWARDS AND GIFT CARDS
For 12 years, Bricknowlogy has been the premiere destination for all things LEGO® – one of the largest private LEGO® resellers in the country. All of us at Bricknowlogy are very proud of that, and it’s only because of our amazing customer support base that we achieved such success and recognition – and we are truly grateful for all of you in helping to make that happen. However, as many of you know, for some time now we have experienced tremendous struggles and challenges in getting our typical product mix from LEGO® – most significantly due to a dwindling catalog of products that they would allow us to buy, as well as deferred release dates and delayed shipments that arrived well past the launch schedule. And it’s been getting progressively worse over the past two years – significantly so since late last year. Most of you have seen the letter that I posted in January after a significant portion of our product was not only delayed, but then finally sent in staggered shipments, preventing us from offering all of you the new items on the official release date and forcing us to incur much higher freight charges (although we did receive an acknowledgment from LEGO® with a $4.51 credit). This had a tremendously negative impact on our sales as well as our reputation in the marketplace. And frankly, I refuse to continue to allow Bricknowlogy to take responsibility for all these actions.
Since the LEGO® corporate store opened just down the road in August 2023, we have seen a distinct pattern of restricted items, product delays, late shipments, internal damages, and challenges from their legal department over incredibly minor website issues / social posts – at least one of which was due to their own marketing material. It doesn’t necessarily mean all those events are related, but the facts remain. We have been fighting the good fight, and so many of you have supported us in so many ways by waiting for product to arrive at Bricknowlogy and then purchasing it from us instead of them – often waiting patiently for several months for us to fulfill your requests. But then, disappointingly, some of that product never arrived or was canceled or was just not available to us. You could get these items at Scheels, Kohl’s, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy (and of course Walmart, Target and Amazon)… but not Bricknowlogy, a “LEGO® Gold Store.” When I pushed back on this policy change, I was told on a video call with a senior LEGO® leader that they are big companies and they buy a lot of products – and Bricknowlogy is small and buys a lot less.
And now, within the past 60 days, we’ve been informed – via email, from a generic account – that Bricknowlogy is prohibited from purchasing any more product directly from LEGO® at all. This was not by our choice; this was a direct result of actions taken by LEGO® that explicitly affect Bricknowlogy with no specific reason given. (I will post that message from LEGO® separately). To be clear, this was not a financial issue – we purchase and pay for all our product upfront, before it leaves the LEGO® distribution center. Because of this egregious decision, we cannot continue to operate as a functional LEGO®-themed store under the current model. This affects the lives of my entire staff and every customer that shops with us and chooses small, local business over the global corporate conglomerates. I made a clear reference to this in the letter I posted on our website and social media at the beginning of this year. I received a lot of support based on that letter, from many of the people on this distribution, but also from people around the country and in some cases, around the globe. That letter generated several conversations and provided a unique insight into other areas in this space that explain many of the unfortunate activities we have directly witnessed.
So, sadly, we’ve come to a point where we can no longer continue to operate based on our current business model. Additionally, on a personal note, I have been strongly advised to dramatically slow down my pace and step back from my typical 70+ hour workweek. Admittedly, it has been a long and grueling battle for the past two years – one that has taken its toll and significantly escalated over the past two months. Since late last year, I have explored and exhausted every feasible option to keep going with the current model. That letter I posted in January made its way to some larger players in the LEGO® product space – some of whom have approached me about acquiring both my vast personal collection and purchasing most of the remaining inventory at Bricknowlogy. In essence, this would be one huge transaction for all the products on the shelves. Based on all of the above, this represents the only viable path forward. It will allow us to take care of business expenses for the rest of the year while providing some time to re-imagine what Bricknowlogy can be going forward. Although the buyers wanted to purchase everything immediately, I was insistent that we have a period of time for staff and customers to absorb all this and have an opportunity to use outstanding gift cards and Rewards points. To be clear, it is definitely my desire and intention to continue to operate after this transaction, but in a different capacity. I cannot reveal the buyers at this time (they are not in Idaho), but they are very good people, tremendous fans, and have no direct ties to LEGO® – all good things. As you know, we have a very unique mix of product and they wanted to buy all of it. They will give the collection a good home, and indeed, we hope to perhaps partner / collaborate with them on future endeavors.
As a result – and with a very heavy heart – Bricknowlogy will be ceasing retail operations for sealed LEGO® sets on May 8, 2026. LEGO® has made it clear they will no longer allow us to buy product from them and so it will be impossible to replenish the store. Therefore, the store will be closed for a few days while the buyers complete their purchase and we reset the store. We will then reopen with lots of pre-built display models, more minifigures, bulk parts, custom kits, and custom printed items. Going forward, we will focus on areas that do not require a direct relationship with LEGO®, and we hope to bring you more information about that in the coming weeks. We have the space in Eagle Plaza for another year, so we plan to make the most of that as we pivot to our new direction. It will give us a chance to explore new ideas and offerings that were not possible until now. I anticipate that we will most likely expand our efforts on custom printing / custom parts, minifigures, custom designed kits, and the commission work that we’ve been doing over the past several years. We simply have not been able to do that justice due to time constraints and all the struggles trying to acquire the desired product from LEGO®. And please, all of us at Bricknowlogy absolutely welcome your ideas and suggestions for other products and services that you would love to see in our store.
So, what this means to you is that if you have any outstanding Rewards points or gift cards, we encourage you to come in and use them on new/current (non-retired) sets, minifigures, custom printing, bulk parts, etc. and to make your purchases prior to close on May 8, 2026. Online orders will not be accepted until further notice. You may still be able to use points and gift cards after that time, but it is unlikely that we will have any sealed sets available for sale. New Rewards points will not be earned or awarded on any purchases made between April 17 and May 8, 2026.
We have set up a dedicated page for you to check your current Rewards and / or the balance on any Gift Cards:
https://bricknowlogy.com/check-balances/
We have also set up a dedicated email address for people to write in with any questions or comments or suggestions (please do):
I know this comes as a tremendous shock and disappointment to everyone. The support you all have shown for the store and for my staff and for me – for the past 12 years – has been so wonderful and I am truly sorry it will end so abruptly. Bricknowlogy has been my entire life for the past 12 years – and I know it’s been a part of yours as well, and that is appreciated more than you all can possibly imagine.
That said, I am very hopeful that this will turn into a better opportunity to serve all the fans in our community, but in a different and more controlled manner – one that is no longer under the heavy thumb of LEGO®. We have some other partnerships that we’re looking at as well, and I anticipate being able to provide more details in the coming weeks.
Again, please direct any questions or comments to the email address above, or you may call the store at 208.939.5346.
Finally, thank you all again for all the support over the years. I hope this is not the end, but the start of something new and exciting for everyone.