On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Loading...
I LOVE this store!!!
It doesn't hurt that I love LEGOs too, but combining the two is just good business.
This is only one of two stores near us here in the greater (and I do mean greater) Bay Area, which is unfortunate since SoCal has like 5 of them PLUS Legoland! What is up with the hate here?
The concept for Lego stores are quite simple yet effective; play with bricks in a play area and surround all your maniacal ones (and even your children) with wall-to-wall product and you've got a recipe for success! Plus, they have the pick a brick wall for a low price of either $9 or $17 a pail, depending on the size of your pail.
This one also has the minifigure build and buy, but its selection isn't as large as the Hillsdale Mall one BUT at least all the pieces are within the reach of the average 3' child. It seems Lego has expanded the repertoire of what they offer for this, but I'm sure this store isn't the only one with it.
Oddly enough, although this store is larger than the San Mateo one, it's selection is often not as fleshed out; one particular set I could find in any Target and Wal-Mart was lacking from their shelves entirely. But they did have several Limited Edition ones that make the googly eyed like me decision challenged.
However, the service here is always top notch, and everyone is so helpful you just want to empty your wallet on the counter for anything they've got. Even when things are slow or just complicated, they are friendly, helpful, patient and willing to go whatever distance necessary to be of service. And considering how wild Valley Fair can get, it's amazing anyone can be that chipper and even keep the place so clean and orderly.
My main happy moment was when I was looking for something and when I called the other store I got a simple "Nope," but here they not only told me Nope but told me I could have them order it online, ship it free to my house AND get frequent buyer credit for the purchase! It's the main reason I like it here, they live to serve it seems.
If you're looking for your brick fix, come here. I'd love for both stores to stay open so we've got Bay Area options, but hopefully it'll encourage the other to pick it up a bit.
You would think that after my son's birthday and after Christmas, we'd be LEGO'ed OUT. Well, Lego, in their vast wisdom and genius marketing prowess, considered this lego'ed-out-ness . . . and during the pre-Christmas sales gave us this offer: spend $75 and get a box to fill up AFTER Christmas for free from the wall of Legos.
So, today, after playing south of Valley Fair, we stopped by for our free Legos. The box -- perhaps 2" x 5" x 3.5" in dimensions -- was strategically packed with all the "odd" pieces. We found wheels, slanted pieces, little antennas, steering wheels, airplane tails, stairs. We even filled the crevices of our box with the tiny pieces.
After we filled up our box, my husband lined up to check out and my son and I browsed through the salt and pepper shakers, the magnets, the key chains, the sale bins, and randomly the swords (not sure how that is Lego-ish). And here is where the marketing genius fits in; let's just say, we didn't leave with JUST our free legos although that was the original plan -- sigh.
It's times like this I'm glad I have kids -- perfect excuse to let the kid in me stay alive.
OMG, where was this store when I was little?
This Lego store is SO cool! They have all the newest and coolest Lego sets here. Tons of inventory, so they hardly ever run out of anything. A little more pricey than Target or Walmart but they have a bigger selection.
The store is set up by theme, they also have the bigger Legos for younger kids, Lego key chains, Lego pens, Lego magnets, and bins of single Lego pieces in case you are missing a piece from a set or creating your own Lego masterpiece.
The staff is also very friendly and the store is clean.
The Lego store is one on the best things that can happen to a person who loves legos. I tend to like Legos for toys for children because they are durable, there are endless possibilities in what you can build and they have a good resale value (just check ebay for used legos). You can't do that with action figures or dolls and if you can you don't get much back.
One of the cool features about the Lego store is the pick-a-brick wall, which allows you to buy individual bricks and other lego pieces. To fill a small cup costs $7.95 and to fill the larger cup is $14.95. If you want to put in the most lego pieces you possibly can, then start filling the cup with the smallest pieces at the bottom and then adding lego bricks. Don't just toss the bricks in. I've learned that by snapping the bricks together and then placing them in allows you to put more in.
Is the $7.95 & $14.95 pick-a-brick a good value? That answer is dependent on what you think. Do you like having new pieces? Do you need specific pieces that is available at the wall? Then yes. If you don't mind used legos (which you should always wash) then you check out eBay for lego lots. You can get 100 misc. pieces of lego for $10 shipped and that's considered a good deal.
I've noticed that ALL Lego stores have different pieces at the pick-a-brick wall. The store in San Mateo has a better variety and the store in Lego Land and Orlando has the most pieces.
The prices on Lego at this or any other Lego store is definitely cheaper than TRU, Target and Walmart. Especially the Star Wars sets, but then again Lego makes sets that are specifically made for TRU, Target or Walmart. Just look out for the difference with similar items.
Another cool thing about the Lego store is that they have a 'Loyalty Program', which allows you to get a Lego card stamped for every $25 purchase. After a certain amount of stamps you get a $10 certificate and then a $20.
If you or someone you know likes playing with Legos, then this store will not disappoint in selection. Keep in mind, the online store at http://Lego.com will obviously have items that are not available in-store. Buy a Lego membership too, if you're a fan. You'll get monthly magazines, a ticket to Lego Land, 2 $5 gift cards for the http://lego.com store and a new Lego set shipped to you every 2 months.
Once you buy one Lego, you'll want another...
I wish the store was bigger...
but then there would be too many kids in there...
I wanna buy legos but I wouldnt know what to do with them after Ive built them...
i'm going to have a room just for legos and build a huge lego town with all the works...then im going to dress as godzilla and stomp around...
ok yea...i know...im a crazy guy
i love Lego and Lego stores are all friendly. they have wheel chair accessible!
Love this store, I never knew it existed until I looked up up on http://Lego.com.
My son likes to pick out the lego, lately its been Star Wars stuff. He tries to build them but get frustrated so that's when I take over.
I liked to build Legos as a kid. I used to have a big space station set. (Who knows what happened to it.) The fun part is building them, then its trying to figure out where you want to put them.
We picked up the SW Spider looking thingy. We also seen a small box set of Castle people near the registers (they may go with Star Wars, if not who cares)
I then asked the cashier dude if there was some sort of a $3 coupon, I remember seeing that online. Doesn't hurt to ask. So he goes looking for one. Comes back with a free poster and then knocks off $5 off the tab. Cool! I wish they carried more of the people (like star wars for starters) I don't want to spend a couple hundred dollars to get that Yoda that comes with the set or the Chewbacca....
Like it that you can come in for loose Lego pieces..you know when you lose that one piece cause you vacuum ate it?
What's not to love about this LEGO store!
First it's laid out by theme, which makes it very easy for the younger enthusiasts to locate their set. They also have a cool little table set up in the middle of the store so ya build away while your child shops - or is it suppose to work the other way?
Remember that piece of Lego you stepped on at 3 AM and threw it away in a fit of rage? Well you can visit the Pick a brick wall and buy a replacement. Very cool
I've gotten some great stocking stuffers and gift fillers here.
The staff is friendly and like kids of all ages.
LEGO stores are one of the best ideas ever invented. To be honest, though cool, the kits are somewhat limited. Have you ever kit-bashed to build your own creation and realized that you were short just a couple of bricks from completing your work of art? This store solves that problem.
Sure, they sell the standard, pre-packaged kits. But you can get those at Target, often on sale. The real reason to come to a LEGO store can be summed up in three words: Pick-a-Brick. The entire back wall of any LEGO store you go to is row upon row of bins. You need a three-stud long brick or a six-stud plate? (Stop laughing! That's what the parts are really called!) They have those and more ... and in colors you didn't know that LEGO makes!
The only reason I'm giving the San Jose store 4-stars is that it's actually one of the smaller LEGO stores in the country - check out the ones at the Disney resorts to see over-kill!
Bonus tip: The pick-a-brick area is priced based on how many bricks you can stuff in a small or a large plastic tumbler. Some of the other LEGO stores (notably the one at Legoland California) sell the bricks by weight but the retail stores mainly sell by the cup. If you really want to get your money's worth, don't just dump the bricks into the cup. You'll get a better use of space if you click the bricks together. I've actually taken two large tumblers of loosely packed LEGO bricks and packed them into a single tumbler. Okay - so I had fun doing it but that's not the point ... :P
When I have children I plan to shower them with Lego. If I had to choose the most influential object in my life it would be these "simple" plastic blocks. I never had a Lego store when I was a kid but even as an adult I love to visit this place.
I've even spent the time to fit as many blocks as I could into the "all you can eat" bucket :)
If I'm shopping with the girls and I get tired of walking then the first place you'll find me is sitting at the build tables.
One of the best parts about this store is that you can sometimes find discounted merchandise. Who would have thought you can get discounted Lego!
When (or if, really) I have children, I will definitely bring them to this very LEGO store so I can shower them with blocks of multi-shaped versions of LOVE.
My only regret is that I did not have this when I was a kid... If I did I'd save all my money just for one trip to The LEGO Store!
In this day and age of electronics and video games, I'm glad to see that LEGOs are still popular. This place transcends generations because kids and adults alike go nuts looking at and playing with the blocks.
The best part of the store is the back wall where you can pick your bricks. I wish we had this when I was a kid. Otherwise, I would've built a city of pastel!
This store is great - it is uncluttered and a full paradise of all things Lego. They also have Lego magnets (that I have decorating my cube), salt shakers, aprons, pens, chess sets and coasters.
Yay! Legos are just lots of fun. I wish that they had Lego stores when I was a kid but they are still fun to buy and put together now that I have the money to buy the big kits :).
The store gets 4 stars only because it is in Valley Fair. Honestly, I have never seen this mall not packed with people so I generally avoid going here. Personally, I prefer shopping in malls that are not crowded and have easy-to-find parking (I don't mind walking even a long distance to the mall so it doesn't need to be by the door, but I *hate* driving around looking for a space).
3.5 stars
This store makes me go Ohhh, Ahhh, Pretty and COOOL!!! But god damn! This store is sorta pricey. Say WHATTTT 50 boxes for 100 pieces of lil itty bitty plastics. Yea this place makes me feel like a lil kid and I enjoy taking the demo legos and building various things. Also of the times I went in there they try to emulate what is the hottest thing on the market and make it into legos; such as batman and then spongebob all these cool stuff.
Now I want to build a lego version of myself. Heheheh
i don't know if it was a special labor day sale, but some of the legos were on 50% sale when we came here yesterday!
we bought some lego sets and when we came home, we got right to building our legos! :D
that was so much fun!
you should have seen us... husband and i sitting in our livingroom putting each piece together while looking at the little booklet that shows you how to make it :)
i want more legos!!!
the bf and i stopped by here yesterday in hopes of finding a cool lego set to build. we picked up a lego beach house at target and got hooked. so we tried to see if we could find a house that we saw online. alas, we didn't. we walked around the store several times only to find nothing. they have tons of stuff that are star wars, sponge bob square pants, harry potter, city sets, and some other stuff. it was pretty cool but not what we were looking for. we ended up leaving the store with just an R2D2 key chain. yes, i'm a nerd at heart.
This is my family's favorite spot at Valley Fair. We can easily lose an hour or more playing with legos, even though we have almost as many legos as they do, in our own house. I guess it's the bright colors and good lighting that make playing so much more fun here. I use this store as a reward for my kids when I need to get some shopping done. If they can cooperate with mommy shopping, I can always find time to pop into the lego store for them. The people who work here are cool. The manager is great. He has exchanged lego sets for us that I didn't know where they were bought and he's really good about holding stuff that my son finds in the lego magazine, until we can get into the shop (he'll hold it until the next day at closing).
I love the LEGO Store! I had a lot of fun wandering through the one at the Mall of America and had to go in this one too. I wish they had the Pick-a-Bricks when I was little because we always seemed to be missing pieces from our sets! (I think it was my cousin who was stealing them though. Every time he came over, we'd be missing pieces when he left.) Yesterday I bought the coolest little LEGO magnet sets!
I LOVE this Lego store, just going in here I feel envious of all the little kids who get to fritter away their parents money buying endless boxes of these little plastic bundles of joy. They have some very cute LEGO magnets for adults to play with too, as well as Lego coasters (although these were like $14, aiyah!)
my son absolutely LOVES this store. in fact, he calls it lego-land. . .
i think its great because they sell a bunch of lego kits, plus they have huge cannisters filled with lego pieces that you can purchase seperately. its a real hands-on place to shop, however, i never let my son touch the sample-legos because who knows if they clean those things after millions of kids have put their hands all over them!
Who doesn't love those lego magnets? I mean, a little lego guy dressed up as pincess laya ala chained to Jaba? Who comes up with this ish? When I've gifted one family member about twelve bucks short of another family member and I need to fill the void? Laya baby.
My little Carlos(my baby) loooooove this place...he started getting into lego at age 3. Mind you...not Duplo or baby things..it's the stuff for 7 years old. At this age, he can assemble the lego stuff just by looking at the illustrated instruction. Found out later that my baby has an IQ of gazzillion. He even got into GATE program and reads 8 grade level at age of 8. Anyways, thank you for the LEGO store...the imagination for a child is endless...he's into stuff like STAR WARS now and have a lot of collections and purchases loose bricks stuff too. He actually made a California Mission out of LEGO bricks and thanks again for those LEGO bricks at the store because they dont have that at Walmart, Toys R Us, nor Target...although you can purchase those things online but the hands on and "i want to take that home right now" philosophy is possible at the LEGO store. There you have it...
San Mateo, CA
Category: Toy Stores
Santa Clara, CA
Category: Toy Stores
Santa Clara, CA
Category: Hobby Shops
San Jose, CA
Category: Cards & Stationery
Fremont, CA
Category: Playgrounds
i don't think i will ever grow up... why would i…
Places where I spent enough that my husband has…
No, it's not the Twilight Zone. Though you might…
