Gorge local - In business: Rebuilding brick by brick: After 25 years, Gameopoly passes the torch to Brick City and Games

“My kids were younger and they wanted to get games and I knew that they were pretty expensive brand new,” Mendez said. “One day I said somebody should be selling them used and trading them, and they said ‘Why don’t you start it?’ So I said ‘Okay, come up with a name and we’ll give it a try,’ and here we are.”

Selling a variety of secondhand games, consoles and accessories — from Nintendo 64 cartridges to Xbox One discs and everything in-between — Mendez provided an accessible way to let Gorge area residents to enjoy video games at an affordable price. When it came to the games themselves, customers had the option of buying them, or in a trading system, bring some into the shop for store credit.

“Kids [in the community] wanted to play games and there wasn’t anything close by, and we did the buying and selling and trading, which benefits everybody,” Mendez said.

After more than two decades in the business, Mendez came to the decision it was time to retire, but knew that he wanted to keep the business in the community.

“I’ve been getting older and I’ve done it long enough and I’d like to take a break,” Mendez said, “After all this time it’s time to let somebody else keep it going.”

Turns out, local couple Jay Wilson and Leslie Sullivan were already in the process of opening a business in which Gameopoly’s inventory would fit right in, and they were happy to take on the task.

Brick City and Games is a store that will buy, sell and trade new and used Legos, video games and video game consoles and equipment and card games. Along with the games and equipment from Gameopoly, Wilson and Sullivan will be selling brand new and certified used boxed Lego sets, bulk Legos pieces on “dump tables” for customers to sift through and select the pieces they want, a mini figure — or “minifig” — building station and other assorted toys and collectibles. The store will carry everything from beginner Primo and Duplo pieces for younger children, to a 9,090-piece titanic set for dedicated enthusiasts.

“There’s a balance with Legos. There are there are the people who want Legos because they literally want them to play with them … and then there are other people who want to put a set of Legos together, display it under glass, because they know the value of the Legos,” said Sullivan. “We’re going to have both of them. So, we’re going to have vintage Lego sets in here that are older than me and [for] $500 or more … and then we’re going to have sets that you can drop a $5 bill or less and take home some Legos to play with.”

For both Sullivan and Wilson, Legos had been a major interest since they were young children.

“I was 5 years old and my grandparents were trying to keep me entertained and they took me to the Kmart up in Everett, Wash., and got me my very first [set],” Wilson said. “It was an old truck stop set, because my grandfather was a trucker. And so he was proud of it, I was proud of it because it was just cool … so I built it, and from that day forward, I have never stopped buying Legos.”

“I remember going to Toys R Us in the Portland area and I saw a Lego castle and I fell in love with Lego castles,” Sullivan said, “And so the Lego castles started my love for Legos back in the early ‘80s. I slowly built up my collection of castles and pirates, and now as an adult I unfortunately don’t have my Legos from when I was a kid … it’s been like a treasure hunt trying to find the castles and sets from when I was a kid.

“When he brought out his [sets], it was like, ‘I had that one! Now I want to put it together!’” said Sullivan. “He has a couple of the same sets from when I was a kid.”

Wilson and Sullivan now share their passion for Legos with their children, demonstrating that they are something that anyone at any age can enjoy. “My daughter, she’s 5 years old, and she’s gotten into Legos, she got into Duplo, and now she’s graduating to the starter sets of the princess books. She’s started with the now regular minifigs, and she’s got her own little collection going on,” Wilson said. “We have two boys … and they use their imagination way farther than I can even imagine.”

“Legos are timeless,” Sullivan said. “I was talking to a local woman the other day, and she said that she was in her mid-60s, and she said she goes home and she just loves to play with Legos, and so it doesn’t matter how old you are, how young you are. And that’s the beauty of Legos.”

It was while visiting a Lego shop in Portland, Sullivan saw an opportunity to bring their passion for the hobby to the Gorge community.

“I was Portland with my two sons and we went to … a Lego store,” Sullivan said, “I came back and told Jay, ‘We got to do this, we’ve got to bring this to The Dalles.’”

At the beginning of their endeavor, things didn’t immediately click into place. Both found themselves running into roadblocks and facing discouragement, but they persisted in their goal of not only building a space for Lego enthusiasts, but a space for community members of all ages to have fun and express their creativity. “It was a process of headache and heartache and being … told no and persisting and working with local people like with The Dalles Chamber and the Small Business Resource Center, and saying how do we do this? And we realized that we could do it on our own,” Sullivan said. “I’m a middle school music teacher and Jay is a bus driver, and we both working education. We see the need for all ages of kids and adults to have a healthy place to just be.”

It was during this process that their oldest son had told them that Mendez had decided to sell his store and suggested they buy it from him. It was an idea which the two of them initially resisted.

“That was just a joke,” Wilson said. “By that time, we were getting kicked down … we’ve had doors thrown in our face, and I was at the point of no, I’m just going to keep on doing what I’m doing.”

But, as the couple and Mendez were neighbors, the two ended up talking with him about their businesses and the possibilities of purchasing his inventory from him. “Jay and I went up and talked to him. We talked to him about what is this and I went down to the store, which I’ve been to the store before, and we talked about it, and we looked at some financial options, and we realized that it was doable,” Sullivan said. “And it was a really easy thing to combine with Legos, and then as the business model adapted, it was like, ‘Okay, we’re going to do this Lego store, then we’re going to bring in Gameopoly,’ which is where Brick City and Games came from.”

Aside from the storefront, customers of any age will be able to reserve the store’s party room for birthdays, where Legos, a TV and gaming consoles can be made available for use upon request. “If it’s a two-year-old party, we’ll set it up for Primo or Duplo, if it’s a 16-year-old party, we’ll set it up for video games or Warhammer,” said Sullivan. “On the website, you … can request your date, but then you tell us what theme you’d like, and we’ll make that happen prior to your party.”

The two did note there may be certain themes they might not have the decorations for, but will let you know in advance if it’s something they can’t provide.

The shop will also have a “hangout room” in the back of the store, with large tables and chairs available for interested card and tabletop game enthusiasts to train or hold tournaments for games such as Magic the Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, Pokémon, Yu-gi-oh, Warhammer and Mobile Frame Zero.

“There’s going to be some couches back here, we’re going to have soda, snacks, energy drinks, things that teenagers and young adults and kids like to eat and drink while they’re playing games,” Sullivan said. “We foresee having things like family game nights ... down the road, having things like Lego and videogame day camps and things to involve all ages.”

Sullivan and Wilson hope to partner with local STEM-based and other groups around the community to host events and give younger kids fun and educational events and activities. “We’ve talked about going outside of these four walls and what can we do to do outreach within the community to kind of meet people with where they are, that’s where STEM hub comes in, but even partnering with YouthThink or some different organizations that we can provide positive opportunities for kids.”

“We will be more than happy to help,” Wilson said.

With 24 hour surveillance around the store, Sullivan and Wilson hope to provide a fun and safe environment for everyone of all ages that wants to come in and let their imagination run wild. “This is the place to be where you just want to be yourself and step away from the real world,” Wilson said. “Where a kid can be a kid, [an] adult can be a kid.”

“I work with 12, 13, 14 year olds and then some, and they all just want lots of autonomy and space to be themselves and find themselves,” Sullivan said. “Our heart is to collaborate with the community, to work with the kids.”

Gearing up for their opening on Sept. 30, Wilson and Sullivan expressed gratitude to Mendez for his time serving the community. “As quiet man as he is, he has a huge heart of gold,” Wilson said. “He went from one job and went and opened up Gameopoly … and he is part of the community. He always will be part of the community. Him and Sandy do a lot of good for this community.”

They also noted that community members may catch him around the new store. “Don’t be surprised if you see Mel behind the counter because I don’t think he’s ever going get away,” Wilson said.

“Mel is not going to be a stranger to Brick City and Games,” Sullivan laughed.

As for Mendez, besides helping Wilson and Sullivan get to know the gaming side of the business, he said he is going to be looking for a job to keep him busy a few days out of the week. “I’ll move on to something else, while we’re still young,” he said.

Mendez expressed his gratitude for the customers throughout the community. “They’ve done right by me,” said Mendez. “I tried to provide when they wanted, and I appreciate them supporting me all this time.”

Brick City and Games officially opens up Sept. 30 with a ribbon cutting at 9:45 a.m. They will be located at 318 E Second St., The Dalles. For further details and updates, visit their website at www.brickcitygames.com or their Facebook page Brick City & Games.