Hello, Lego

Showered with legos as a child (literally, I wish!), it was safe to say I was extremely excited to find out The Lego Store officially opened in Kuwait yesterday. Located above Sephora, in 2nd Avenue – The Avenues, I rushed there right after work – inner child in tow.

Just for the record, this isn’t my first encounter with a Lego establishment. My first foray into brick paradise was The Lego Shop in Beirut, Lebanon in October 2014. Tucked away in Beirut Souks, that’s when I first came face to face with a (I’m assuming) life-size lego Darth Vader.

What first hits you when you approach The Lego Store is how yellow everything is. Obviously. The yellow brick walls on the sides frame the store window perfectly – making it look like a lego creation. The window display was filled with Star Wars themed sets, and the first thing you see when you walk in is even more Star Wars sets. I’m assuming they’re riding on the wave of Star Wars: The Force Awakens coming out two weeks ago. Not that I minded!

I’ll have you know, it was very hard trying to maintain any semblance of being an adult in the store. Everything, and I mean every thing, screams for you to unleash your inner child. From the old school lego collections, to the Architecture collection. I wanted, nay, needed, everything! I especially liked the Pick-A-Brick wall in the back of the store. So here’s how the Pick-A-Brick works: there are little cubbies that house a specific lego size and colour, and all you have to do is mix and match (or pick one specific type), then fill them in one of two cups. The large cup costs 7.950 KD, and the small cup costs 4.950 KD. You can put as many pieces as you want in either cup as long as the cup closes. I checked the US prices of these cups and the large fills to the brink at $16 (approx. 4.850 KD) and the small one fills at $9 (approx. 2.750 KD). Umm, come again? Are we talking about ridiculous price jacking? Yes, we are.

If we’re just judging the variety, then yes, there’s a huge variety of collections and sets in the store. The staff are extremely friendly and approachable, and the overall look of the store makes one feel like they were transported to a Lego world – it’s everything you’d imagine, really. The prices, however, are beyond exorbitant. I mean, I’ve heard of companies adding 30% to the prices of imported goods, but over 100%? That’s quite unreasonable. Some pieces like The Simpsons House – is priced at almost 135 KD. I checked online, and the very same set costs $200, which is approximately 60 KD. That’s a 125% price increase. Despite the unreasonable prices, I couldn’t walk out without the Wonder Woman keychain (priced at 2.750 KD) I’ve been coveting for a few years. I checked the online US Lego Store, and  found the very same keychain for $5 (approximately 1.500) – hello, 83% increase.

There’s really something for everyone and almost every age, at the store; so, unless piling on sets from The Lego Store in Kuwait doesn’t break your bank, then start piling!