Building Together: Central Brick Society prioritizes community in downtown Highland Park

For those who love building with Lego, the fun doesn’t have to stay in the basement.

Central Brick Society, a new gathering spot for builders and creative minds, will turn a solo activity into a shared experience when it opens at 461 Central Ave. in Highland Park. A grand opening is scheduled from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Central Brick Society will be a creative studio, social club and skill-building lab for builders of all ages. 

Co-owners and co-founders Lisa Sanders and Alyssa Pollack imagined creating a space where people could come to buy and build Lego, among other things, with a community. 

“I think that when children get passionate about whatever it is they’re passionate about, they often become part of a team,” Sanders said. “And oftentimes, builders, tinkerers, sometimes a lot of these kids are neurodivergent, not always, but oftentimes they don’t have a space and they end up building in their basement alone. So, we wanted to create a space where they could build, indulge in their passions and learn how to connect with others.”

Sanders found that there was a need for a space like this from watching her kids play with Lego, as well as Pollack and Brooke Milton, designer of the studio. Sanders also saw the impact of “Lego club” when she was a former teacher. She recalls watching the “joy” it brought to her students. Sanders found Lego challenges helped her students “grow as humans.” 

Building community

As much as Sanders and Pollack love Lego, that wasn’t the driving force behind opening the studio. Community was. 

Sanders said “belonging” is what the team hopes to accomplish in Highland Park, and store manager Michael Federman likened the idea to what used to be the Firehouse Youth Center in Highland Park. Federman said he spent lots of time at the community center connecting with his friends and hopes people in Highland Park can also connect in that way at Central Brick Society. 

At Central Brick Society, someone’s Lego experience will get “leveled up,” because people are in community with one another, Pollack said, and they will help people “remix” the way they work with Lego. 

Customers will have the chance to connect with others by doing collective challenges, like building a bridge in five minutes with only round parts or competing with others for who can build the tallest tower in 30 seconds. 

Offerings

Central Brick Society also offers a character workshop, in which people can design a Lego “mini-figure” and their custom trading card; and a custom-made brick bar, where people can take home specific pieces. The rest of the space is dedicated to “stay, build and connect” with others. 

In addition to traditional Lego bricks, Central Brick Society also offers Smart Bricks, light kits, Lego robots, gears, gadgets, motors, mosaics, instruments, technology, building blocks and books. 

Visitors are not required to build something from instructions. They can freestyle build, dig through a bin or simply hang out with their friends. 

Customers can drop- in for however long they want to stay or become a member and visit regularly and receive perks, like a free character workshop build and a guest pass. 

Central Brick Society also welcomes birthday parties, corporate gatherings and other events.  

Lego for everyone

Because Lego spans generations and genres, according to Sanders, Central Brick Society also offers adult events where adults are permitted to bring their own alcohol. Central Brick Society reportedly will also partner with local businesses like Winford Winery to serve wine at events.  

The experience differs from child to adult in the materials and the complexity of the Lego sets. Milton said she found Star Wars being very popular among older builders, and 3D printers and stop-motion animation will be made available to adults in the future. 

“I have a lot of clients who have extensive Lego sets like I’ve never seen before,” Pollack said. “I love that it speaks to so many different people.” 

Children who want to take on new challenges are welcome to try. One of those challenges could be creating instructions for a Lego piece they have designed.

Central Brick is meant to be a space where children can build abstract things and feel accepted for it, said Federman, adding he wants children to feel accepted for what they’ve built by encouraging them with a “that’s really cool.” 

As a lifelong Lego fan, Federman finds “nothing like” Central Brick Society on the North Shore. The closest thing, he said, would be a store that sells Lego.

“This is such a different, unique idea,” Federman said. “To be able to come build with other people is a very different thing.” 

Pollack said Central Brick is safe space where her children can enjoy building without the pressure that educational programs like STEM labs may have.

Sanders added that a place like Central Brick may be helpful to those with ADHD, like her. She said that building with Lego is “very therapeutic.” 

Just the Start

The name Central Brick Society comes from Central Avenue, where the shop is located; Central being “the place where people gather”; and Central being a popular name of streets in modular Lego sets. The name, therefore, could potentially span multiple locations, Sanders said, depending on how the first location performs.

The Central Brick Society team worked on their business idea for the past year and settled on a Highland Park location because most of the team are Highland Park natives.

The team wants people to feel “excited” and “energized” when the doors open. The grand opening will allow people to come in, build and discover what Central Brick Society is about. The event will feature prize wheels and a caricaturist, Mary Renee, who will create brick-like portraits. 

The night before the grand opening, on Friday, Oct. 23, Central Brick Society is hosting an event in Port Clinton Square, where they will screen “The Lego Movie” with the outdoor-movie company MOO-V-Night. 

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