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JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Ashton Romaniuk and Madison Froome with a Lego 75192 Millennium Falcon in their recently opened store Romo\u2019s Bricks at 955 Milt Stegall Dr.<\/p>\n
To stock the store, she and Romaniuk spent $50,000 on four large Lego collections, purchased from local collectors. Romaniuk estimates that since the store opened on June 2, inventory has grown to $250,000 worth of Lego.<\/p>\n
One wall is dedicated to sets from the Star Wars franchise; another features a custom-made mural depicting various minifigures, including a firebreathing dragon, a skeleton and Lego versions of Romaniuk and Froome.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a \u201cpick a brick\u201d section, a table where visitors can sit down and fill in Lego colouring pages, and a wall display made up of 30 white base plates and a trough of bricks so customers can make their own creation while browsing. Two display cases house around 5,000 minifigures.<\/p>\n
Items in the store range in price from 50 cents to $3,000, according to Romaniuk. A new Lego set has a shelf life that spans eight months to four years, he explains, after which the Danish company retires the set and never produces it again.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as they retire them, that\u2019s where the value (goes up) massively,\u201d Romaniuk said.<\/p>\n
He points to a chrome gold minifigure depicting C-3PO, the hapless humanoid robot from Star Wars. Lego manufactured 10,000 of them in 2007, randomly including them in specially marked sets. Today, they retail for $2,500.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s something in the store for every budget though, and customers have ranged in age from three to 90, Froome said. She and Romaniuk wanted to create a fun place for collectors, children, families and anyone who loves Lego.<\/p>\n
The couple, both 23 years old, share that enthusiasm. Romaniuk started building Lego sets when he was four years old. After he was diagnosed with ADHD, snapping the colourful bricks together became a way to relax.<\/p>\n
As he got older, Romaniuk never stopped building Lego. He turned Froome onto the pastime when they started dating four years ago. Their personal collection includes 450 sets.<\/p>\n
After a few years of talking about opening a store, the couple took action when CanCentral owner and family friend Cliff Hryciuk offered them 1,500 square feet at the back of his shop. They used Romaniuk\u2019s nickname for the store\u2019s moniker.<\/p>\n
Romo\u2019s Bricks sells Lego on eBay, but Romaniuk and Froome say it\u2019s important to them to have a storefront and do the majority of their business in person so they can build relationships.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to know my customers by name, talk to them, ask them what they\u2019re building, what they\u2019re doing, how their week was,\u201d Froome said. \u201cThat\u2019s a huge part of why I love to work here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Froome and Romaniuk check out a Lego 10261 Roller Coaster set.<\/p>\n That in-person interaction is important, says Graeme Dymond. The Toronto resident is certified by the Lego Group as a master model builder, and while he no longer works for the company, he still builds Lego for a living through his own business, Dymond Bricks.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this world where everything\u2019s becoming increasingly digital, Lego is the one thing that, when it comes to toys and children\u2019s entertainment, has held its ground and been successful as this physical, tactile experience that brings people together,\u201d Dymond said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s tons of options online to go to these digital spaces and find rare or vintage Lego sets, but there\u2019s nothing quite like going into one of these stores like Romo\u2019s Bricks.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Dymond said while he can\u2019t speak for the Lego Group \u2014 neither he nor Romo\u2019s Bricks are officially affiliated with the 94-year-old business \u2014 the company\u2019s products are growing in popularity.<\/p>\n The Lego Group reported last year its revenue reached around US$13 billion \u2014 a 12 per cent increase compared to 2024. The company offered its largest portfolio of products to date in 2025, with more than 860 items, around half of which were new. Consumer sales grew 16 per cent.<\/p>\n Hryciuk said he\u2019s glad to have Romo\u2019s Bricks in the building. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of Lego collectors that are sports cards collectors and vice versa, so I thought it\u2019d be a good fit for the store.\u201d<\/p>\n Romo\u2019s Bricks is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.<\/p>\n aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Aaron Epp Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. Read more about Aaron<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Aaron produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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