Adults are now one of the fastest-growing segments in the LEGO market — helping push the company past $9 billion annually.
What’s getting less attention is the booming secondary market for parts, where serious builders are spending just as much, if not more.
Jenn Just has been inside that ecosystem for 27 years.
She runs The Brick Chick, an independent parts and custom design business serving adult collectors across the U.S. and Canada, and has watched the shift from “toy hobby” to serious collector economy in real time.
Just, based on Gabriola Island in B.C., said the Brick Chick was born in about 1999.
“It started off as “The LEGO Lady” until I got a cease and desist from Lego and was told I couldn’t use that name. So I framed that, it’s on the wall, and I moved on to The Brick Chick,” she explained.
“I consider myself a bit of a niche brand. I want to be a cult brand. I would like to be a cult leader. I want to give the people what they want and things that LEGO can’t or won’t do. A lot of that has to do with identity. If you are LGBTQ, like I am, queer folks like to have their little flags and so on in their LEGO builds.
“I like to take big things in real life and shrink them down to little tiny things that minifigures can hold and represent what we actually have going on. So, a lot of flags. People want a Canadian flag, they want to be proud, they want to have their Tim Hortons cup and their “Tim Bricks,” and the different things that I do to disguise real brands and make them into funny little parody items.
“I’m a maker, kind of addicted to making things. I have a three-floor farmhouse full of equipment I’ve been gathering over the years. I make whatever appeals to me, and a lot of times that’s in the Lego niche because that’s where things were born.
“But I’ve expanded into fandom. People who like Lego also like things like Star Wars and Star Trek, a lot of science fiction, Dungeons & Dragons, all of that. So I try to appeal to every audience that I can.”
Just’s background is in the fashion industry. The first business she started was at age 19, knitting sweaters for a kitchen or farmer’s market. She later went to Sheridan College and got a fashion degree that she never intended to use, but she took that information and ran with it.
“Nowadays, I have a sub-brand called Salty Stitch Witch, where I do all my bags, patches, and different identity symbols. I have two multi-needle embroidery machines that I use to produce what I call “propaganda”,” she said.
“I also do 3D printing—I have a small farm—so I make home décor items and things that appeal to Lego fans. A lot of that involves taking small things Lego makes and expanding them into bigger versions, which is funny because it’s the opposite of what I do with the miniatures.”
Just said her work has a broad appeal, predominantly adult fans. Fans really like the nostalgic aspect. In this economy, people are willing to buy things that appeal to their inner child and remind them of happy times. When wallets get tight, she listens to her customers and gives them what they want.
“I’ve decided to scale this business. It’s been a small business until now, but it’s growing rapidly now that I can spread my wings. I have lots of ideas—I’m never short of ideas. I’m a neurodiverse person, so I tend to go in many directions at once.
“Many LEGO fans are also neurodiverse, so that works in my favor. I have great expansion plans. Making is a big part of my daily activities—I love creating things. I’m also opening up more on social media to show people exactly what I do and how to do it themselves. I don’t like gatekeeping—I think sharing knowledge is important.”
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