Brickmania Blog

BRICKMANIACS! It’s been an eventful year here at Brickmania so far. From the grand opening of our new GHQ Store in Minneapolis, to our first appearance at EAA AirVenture, the relocation of our Chicago Store, and not one, but two trips across the Atlantic to Germany and the UK, it’s been a busy 2019. However, if this past Thanksgiving weekend was any evidence, BKM is not slowing down.

NOTE: Before we get into the events of the weekend, if you participated in our SR-71® giveaway at either our retail locations or Nebraska Brick Days, we will be contacting the winners very soon and then doing an announcement to follow. A special thank you to all who participated, and good luck!

Blackbird® Friday weekend started at the Brickmania GHQ Store with displays from TwinLUG (the Minneapolis and St.Paul LEGO users group) which will run throughout the month of December – Owner Dan Siskind, Minifig Designer Lando, and others were on hand for autographs and conversation, before packing up and heading for Chantilly and Chicago respectively.

In Chicago Lando, along with BTV Host Dilan Czech, chatted with fans about the minifigs, builds, on going projects, historical research, writing, and more; all while reveling in the glory of the U.S.S. O’Hare and beginning work on the Butch O’Hare mosaic, which will remain a staple of the Chicago Store permanently.

The real highlight of Blackbird® Friday weekend was Brickmania’s breakthrough to the east coast. After many months of tireless preparation, the Brickmania team was finally ready to expand their reach, setting up shop in Chantilly, VA just 25 miles from the nation’s capital. Brickmania’s Capital Store is the first concrete retail presence outside the midwest in BKM history, and those in attendance over Blackbird® Friday weekend got the chance to experience Brickmania the way it was meant to be, immersing themselves in the incredible displays, good conversation, and even testing out some Micro Brick Battle with all of the BKM bells and whistles at their disposal.

Even more incredible for those in attendance for the grand opening was the chance to meet former SR-71 Blackbird® pilot Col Adelbert “Buz” Carpenter. Loaded with stories and experiences beyond most people’s wildest dreams, Col Carpenter was happy to sign autographs, and discuss his time as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force during the Cold War.

“Back then it was very classified and compartmented then, I couldn’t even really share it with my family. Today I can talk practically about anything, it’s come out from behind the curtain.” – Col Adelbert “Buz” Carpenter.

Brickmania owner Dan Siskind even had time to sit, chat, and record his conversation with Col Adelbert “Buz” Carpenter. Keep on the lookout for more content from that discussion in the near future.

All in all Blackbird® Friday weekend and the Capital Store’s grand opening was the Brickmania event of the year. We appreciate everyone who made the effort to join us, and can’t wait to see what 2020 holds.

As always, happy building!

This entry was posted by dilanczech.