First UK toy shop to sell LEGO gets a brick makeover
Continuing the 60th anniversary celebrations, the LEGO Group has given the first toy shop in the UK to sell LEGO products a brick built makeover.
Osborne’s Sports and Toys, located in Rushden, was the first shop in the UK to sell LEGO products. To celebrate the classic brick turning 60, the LEGO Group used over 277,000 LEGO bricks to cover the front of the shop. A team based in the Czech Republic workshop used store measurements to precisely replicate the real-life location, with sections then shipped over and installed.
Heart spoke to the store’s owners:
Pam Osborne told Heart how she and her late husband Jim became Lego’s first stockists in Britain 58 years ago.
“Believe it or not we were on our honeymoon at Brighton which was where the toy fair was, and we happened to walk on to the stand where Lego were unveiling their product.
“We were the first people to go on to the stand, we liked the product, opened an account, gave an order and we’ve been stocking it and selling it ever since.”
“I think the main thing was the fact it was a quality product and quality was something he was always very keen about in the shop.”
Visitors can check out the unique LEGO installation until the end of Monday.
Author Profile
- Graham was the Brick Fanatics Editor up until November 2020. He has plenty of experience working on LEGO related projects, including LEGO Star Wars: The Force of Creativity. He has contributed to various websites and publications on topics including niche hobbies, the toy industry and education.
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