Crest Hill minifigs store helping with LEGO-focused convention in Schaumburg this weekend

Ryan and Sarah Linsner have sponsored and volunteered at Brickworld Chicago Convention ever since they opened their Bricks & Minifigs of Crest Hill in 2018.

This year, Ryan Linsner is also volunteering as a coordinator for the event, he said.

Bricks & Minifigs is an authorized LEGO product seller, according to Ryan Linsner, manager and co-owner of the 4,000-square-foot Crest Hill store. Store visitors may buy, sell or trade “all things LEGO,” according to the Bricks & Minifigs of Crest Hill website.

Brickworld Chicago is a LEGO-approved adult brick show that “happens all over the country,” Ryan Linsner said. LEGO is also one of the 2023 Brickworld Chicago Convention sponsors this year, he said.

“It’s the largest LEGO [themed] show in the U.S.,” Ryan Linsner said. “It’s a great way to show off LEGO creations to everyone. Plus, a lot of YouTubers and Instagramers come up here to record it.”

The Brickworld Chicago Convention runs June 14 through June 18 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel. The convention is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available online and at the door.

Weekend attendees can take part in interactive activities and buy LEGO products from vendors, according to the Brickworld Chicago Convention website.

In addition, Ryan Linsner is leading the LEGO Masters Season 2 Demolition Derby Re-match on Saturday, according to the Brickworld Chicago Convention website.

He is also helping to lead Improv Show: Illegal Building Techniques on Saturday, where “performers from Second City, Improv Olympic and other Chicago shows will conduct PG-13 style show, followed by a 15-20 minute montage of improv,” Brickworld Chicago Convention said. Proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish and Lurie Children’s Hospital.

It’s the largest LEGO [themed] show in the U.S. It’s a great way to show off LEGO creations to everyone. Plus, a lot of YouTubers and Instagramers come up here to record it.”

—  Ryan Linsner, co-owner of Bricks & Minifigs of Crest Hill, who is volunteering as a coordinator for Brickworld Chicago Convention

Ryan Linsner also is the organizer for The Fold concert on Sunday afternoon. The Fold is a Lisle-based band that has written music for the LEGO Ninjago television series, including the show’s “Weekend Whip” theme song.

The Fold also performed at Bricks & Minifigs of Crest Hill in January as part of the business’s five-year anniversary celebration.

‘Being that love of LEGOS to customers’

Bricks & Minifigs of Crest Hill has “tons of new products at the store,” Ryan Linsner said, including LEGO-themed backpacks and lunchboxes.

“We’re still coaching First LEGO League teams as well as LEGO robotics for middle schoolers,” Ryan Linsner said. “We’re still doing birthday parties.”

The store also hopes a Cyber Funday at 7:30 p.m. most Friday nights on their Facebook, Twitch and YouTube channels, Ryan Linsner said.

Although Sarah Linsner’s younger brothers played with LEGOS more than she did as a child, she appreciates the floral LEGOS she receives for Mother’s Day, since the flowers can last almost forever.

“All you have to do is dust them,” Sarah Linsner said.

As a mother of three, Sarah Linsner said, “it’s more inspiring to play with toys that are not electronic and get away from the screens.”

“It’s neat for me to see how their brains work in finding the order for the pieces and then see them complete a project,” Sarah Linsner said.

Ryan Linsner said in a 2018 Herald-News story that most kids only play an average video game for 12 to 20 hours. But with Lego kits, it’s possible to ditch the instruction and “turn it into something unique and different,” Ryan Linsner said in 2018.

“Legos has a much longer lifespan,” Ryan Linsner said in 2018. “And the pieces last 50 to 60 years.”

So as a co-owner of Bricks & Minifigs of Crest Hill, Sarah Linsner’s LEGO satisfaction is less from playing with the product herself and more with bringing joy to customers.

“My job satisfaction is being that love of LEGOS to customers,” Sarah Linsner said. “And know that they are going to take it home and play with it.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Brickworld Chicago Convention

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday (general public show)

WHERE: the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel, 1551 Thoreau Dr N, Schaumburg

ETC: Tickets are $14 (online) and $16 (at the door, day of show). Members of the military and first responders pay $11 at the door. Kids aged 3 and younger are free. To watch Cyber Funday, visit youtube.com/@BAMCrestHill/streams.

INFO: Visit brickworld.com/brickworld-chicago and bricksandminifigs.com/cresthill-il.

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Hundreds of LEGO figures from numerous franchises, including Harry Potter, are available at the Bricks & Minifigs LEGO store in Crest Hill on Thursday, June 8, 2023. (Gary Middendorf – gmiddendorf@shawmedia/Gary Middendorf)