East Texas will have a new outlet for fun this summer with the planned opening of The Brick World, a new Lego-themed store and activity center in Longview.
Kennedy Bounds and his father, Bradley Bounds, are bringing the business to 5848 Judson Road, Suite 103, in The Center at Judson North, a growing shopping center across from Judson Middle School.
The store will be an expansion of what they already have been doing with The Brick Truck since 2019.
“It’s going to be something special, I think,” that Longview or East Texas have never had before, Kennedy Bounds said.
The Brick Truck has been offering mobile birthday parties and other events all over the area, including Longview and Tyler, as well as Dallas and Waco.Â
“We’ve been really busy,” Bounds said.
Lego building has been his love since he was 5 years old, and it’s something his family has done together. He also has a YouTube channel with 23,000 subscribers — “True Squadron,” using middle name — based on his love in particular of Star Wars LEGOs.
“It’s a really big part of me,” he said of building Legos.
The Brick Truck features takes tens of thousands of Lego bricks around East Texas. The store will feature about 100,000 bricks, with memberships available for people to go build at the store — on the walls and on tables. The store will offer parties as well, and Lego sets and minifigures for sale. Bounds said the store will offer sets not typically found at big box stores.
“We’ve been wanting to open a store to have that same experience (as the truck),” Bounds said, and they’ve been looking for a location for a long time. The location across the street from the school is a “good fit,” he said.Â
“The shopping center is really nice. It’s new,” Bounds said.
Store hours will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, with an opening date expected in June.
“I’m excited to get in there,” Bounds said.