Plant City man turns love of Legos into booming business one brick at a time

Before you curse those little Lego pieces that pierce your bare foot at night, know that your little one's love for the tiny brick building sets might one day help pay for their college.

Maybe college tuition is too far to go, but those old Lego sets may be more valuable than you think.

Greg Williams learned that lesson with his children and grandchildren.

He knows the aftermarket of Legos so well that he opened a business devoted to Legos called Brick City Bricks.

READ: Dream job: How master builders create those giant LEGO models

"It actually started as an investment. I saw you can hold on to Legos for a couple of years and sell them for a decent price," shared Williams.

Lego displays sit on shelves at Brick City Bricks in Plant City.

Greg Williams came up with the concept of Brick City Bricks while he was buying Lego sets, holding on to them, and then selling them at a higher price. 

He was collecting the sets and holding them until they were retired. He flipped the products on a website dedicated to the resale of discontinued sets.

"I started an online store out of my house," Williams recalled, but his website got so popular that inventory was taking over. "I had three choices, open a store, sell everything or get a divorce. You can see what we did here. We opened a store."

READ: 'LEGO Masters' title will help Bradenton couple build their future -- and family

What sets are the best for the resale marketplace?

A pile of Legos at Brick City Bricks.

Brick City Bricks is devoted to Legos. 

Williams answered that very simply, "Theme ones do really well. Ships do well. Star Wars stuff does great!"

It's a family-run business and Williams is grateful for the support of his wife Sandi and his son Jordan. They have more than 1000 items in inventory including hard-to-find mini-figures, seasonal sets, and themed sets.

READ: Meet some of the dynamic duos competing for brickbuilding glory on ‘LEGO Masters’

For the uninitiated, every Saturday the store holds ‘build breakfasts’ at 10 a.m.  Experts will help you or your child build your own Lego set, or they will help you create something from scratch. And, ultimately, they will buy your unwanted Legos.

Boxes of Lego sets on the shelves.

Greg Williams turned his passion for Legos into a business in Plant City. 

"If it's a lot of stuff, give us a phone call," said Williams, "You can drop it off. We take a day or two and go through the collection and we'll call you back with a price."

If you have all of the pieces and, most important, you have the directions, you might have something valuable.

LINK: Learn more about Brick City Bricks and what collections they have to offer at https://brickcitybricks.com/.