The store features the Lego brand’s original building kits and its popular build-your-own hero area where customers can make themselves or someone they know into a Lego hero minifigure, Jacob said. There are up to 250 billion different possible combinations.
“The idea is that it should look like them or someone like them or a family member, a friend, parents, teacher, coach, whatever. Then they get to make that person into a hero with a cape or a Batman outfit or a lightsaber or a wand or Zelda’s Hero’s Sword or whatever,” Jacob said. “The kids go bonkers for it. I mean, they just love it.”
Jacob, a minister of the Lutheran Church, said several of Brick Base’s original kits are inspired by the Bible, like a Nativity set, Noah’s Ark and the Luther Rose. Jacob also makes original minifigures of historical icons like Harriet Tubman, Tecumseh, Amelia Earhart, the Tuskegee Airmen and Rubén Fuentes.
All “minifigs” as they are called, have skin tones accurate to the people they are depicting, Jacob said.
Minifigs cost $5 and original kits are sold at cost, Jacob said.
“That’s a big part of our mission, is we really want this to be accessible to people,” Jacob said.
The store has a “brickery,” featuring sorted separate bricks or pieces that can replace a missing part, Jacob said.
“We get that from kids to where they’ll come in and they’ll be like, ‘I lost a piece. I can’t finish my Star Wars ... my Millennium Falcon or my Eiffel Tower or my Harry Potter castle — Hogwarts, and I’m like OK, we can find you that piece,’" Jacob said. He charges about 10 cents per piece.
Brick Base also hosts events like birthday parties, team building activities and church or youth groups. Jacob said people have expressed interest in hosting graduation parties at the studio. The location is convenient with fast food options nearby, as well as a Kroger across the street.
Jacob started using Lego as an educational tool with children during the pandemic lockdown as part of his church. He decided to do Lego Bible stories knowing that the kids had the blocks, but he could not find any existing sets. He decided to make them himself.
“It took several years because it turned out to be really challenging to do — all the logistics of getting all the pieces and instructions and the little minifigs, creating a box and figuring out all the stuff," Jacob said.
The brand has set up at festivals for the past two summers and will continue that this year with next week’s Yellow Springs street fair.
Jacob was inspired to give to the community by his uncle’s pizza shop, Jacob’s Pizza, in Toledo. He said his uncle would give out free pizza for sporting events and did pizza for school cafeterias.
“He just really tuned into kids and made pizza their fun, awesome thing in the community,” Jacob said. His uncle died a few years ago but the business is still open.
Brick Base is designed for children to touch everything, with Jacob describing the shop as a “sensory gold mine.” He said Brick Base is a great place for brain growth and development, including for kids on the autism spectrum.
Brick Base currently features art like stickers and cards from local artist Maia Grandy, and will feature others in the future.
The studio will be open for Lego activities, but also jewelry making, block printing, crochet, embroidery, paper making, fluid painting and felt sewing.
Anyone interested can visit Brick Base on Tuesday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and follow the studio on Facebook for further updates.
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