If you build it, they will come.
And when they come, they will build it.
Brick by brick. Plate by plate. And tile by tile.
Welcome to Block Party, a new one-of-a-kind of LEGO space at 630 Wantagh Avenue in Levittown, which is located in the CVS shopping center.
The soft opening is set for Thursday.
Block Party is part store, part play space.
You’ll find brand-new LEGO sets, retired and resold sets, open play LEGO sessions and birthday parties built around creativity.
It’s the first concept of its kind on Long Island, and it started because of a kid who really loves LEGO.
“My son Joseph III is a huge Lego fanatic,” co-owner Joe Cino told Greater Long Island with a smile. “We been going to Legoland and we buy Legos like they are going out of style. And that got me thinking that this could be a great little business.”
Cino, who also owns Cino’s Hot Bagels in Massapequa and Oceanside, said it took about a year for his vision to come to reality.
Once the lease was signed this past November, the building began.
“We started buying all the used Legos wherever we could find them,” said Cino. “Garage sales, Craig’s List, Facebook Marketplace, word of mouth. We are still getting stuff every day.”
That collection now has hundreds of sets and individual pieces, filling the store’s shelves for kids, collectors, and anyone else who just wants to sit down and build.
That’s where the “open play” concept comes in.
“For $20, people can just come in and build,” Cino explained. “We have buckets and buckets of pieces, so get creative as you want.”
Top: Meet the people behind the new Block Party in Levittown (L-R): Joe Cino, co-owner, Joe Cino, III, Audrina, Cino’s daughter, Alex, his wife, and Lucas Wachsberger, another co-owner. Block Party will be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Credit: GLI/Andrew Rappaport)
