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Messer opening Manteca LEGO store
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The Bricks & Minifigs in Concord featuring a replica of the Roman Colosseum is also owned by former Manteca Unified Superintendent Jason Messer.

Bricks & Minifigs is coming to the Central Valley.

This one-of-a-kind toy shop will appeal to those of all ages who happen to be fans of the building bricks LEGO products.

The grand opening for Bricks & Minifigs at 1140 N. Main St. in Manteca is set for Saturday, Nov. 3, according to owner Jason Messer.

He’s the former superintendent of the Manteca Unified School District. Messer resigned last spring from his post of nearly 10 years. Altogether, he was with MUSD for 18 years.

Since then, Messer got into business, taking over the Bricks & Minifigs LEGO store in Concord.

It’s there he learned the ins and outs of buying, selling and trading of LEGOs not to mention the vast interest the toy product attracts from those of all ages, both near and far.

“I had a pilot from Air France China who came here [Concord] from SFO [San Francisco International Airport] for Star Wars LEGO,” Messer said as he, his daughter Kailin, and son-in-law Matt Montalvo (Kailin’s husband) were busy working on the new store. The walls are painted in the same color as that of the popular interlocking toy construction blocks.

The LEGO Group is a privately held company based in Denmark.

Montalvo will also serve as the store manager for Bricks & Minifigs Manteca.

The counter display case already has a few LEGO Star Wars mini figures – numerous and a variety of Storm Troopers, R2-D2s, and other characters from all three George Lucas-created movie trilogy – and a few plastic bins filled to the brim with miscellaneous LEGO pieces.

The location is important. Bricks & Minifigs has Mountain Mike’s Pizza just a few doors down.

“We have a room for birthday parties,” Messer said. 

It’s a popular attraction at the Concord store where kids can enjoy a LEGO-themed party equipped with a pinewood derby-style track for designing and racing a build-your-own car. A pizza place nearby adds to the convenience.

Bricks & Minifigs promises to be a paradise for those who are fans of LEGO, especially collectors in search of hard-to-find parts to complete a set or looking to purchase a special LEGO set.

When it comes to Bionicle – a line of LEGO Technic series featuring robotic-like figures with storyline– Montalvo, 27, is to go-to person.

“I grew up and played with Bionicle,” he said. “I want to introduce it to a new group of people.”

Bricks & Minifigs will offer up many of the various theme sets – LEGO Architecture, LEGO Batman Movie, LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO Minecraft, LEGO Super Heroes, etc. – both new and discontinued.

Messer’s involvement with Manteca Rotary is what brought him to this location. “I’m also thrilled to be near Mountain Mike’s,” he said.

Messer and Montalvo were recently at the Great Valley Bookfest and the Pumpkin Fair, promoting and providing information on their newest endeavor.

Bricks & Minifigs will be the third store of its kind in California. Besides Concord, the other LEGO-themed store can be found in Fullerton.


To contact reporter Vince Rembulat, e-mail vrembulat@mantecabulletin.com.