LEGO lovers pack Hastings Centre

Now in its fourth year, the event was held at the Hastings Centre and is organised by Kristel and Lindsey McKeon, the owners of Brickz 'n' Bitz. The couple also donated £200 from a percentage of door sales to this year's chosen charity, East Sussex Veterans Hub, after raising money for Macmillan in 2024 and Charity 4 Kids in 2025.

Unfortunately, after more than five years since opening their first shop on Robertson Street and relocating to a larger space on the same street in 2023, the couple has announced the permanent closure of their shop.

Kristel said: "Although the last five and a half years of running the shop have been amazing, we have had to make the very difficult decision to close our doors for the last time on Friday, August 28. Although our shop is now closed, Brickz 'n' Bitz is still very much alive! We will continue to buy and sell online using Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and WhatNot.

"We have built an amazing customer base in Hastings, and we do not want to lose this, so we will be constantly showing our current stock items on our Facebook page and offering free local delivery for any orders over £10. We will still buy pre-loved sets and minifigures, and we will add a phone number to our Facebook page so customers can WhatsApp us to arrange valuations and collections."

She added: "We will continue to arrange Hastings Brick Fair every year, and we are currently in talks about arranging a second event at the beginning of December for a Christmas Brick Fair."

The first brick fair took place in 2023 after Kristel attended a corporate LEGO event in Maidstone, which inspired her to organise one in Hastings.

"We hired a small community hall in St Leonards, and to be honest I was worried that no-one would turn up," she said.

"But I was very wrong, and the event was a huge success! It was so busy, and it became apparent that the venue we picked was definitely too small! So the following year we changed the venue to The Hastings Centre."

Talking about local support, she added: "Since opening the shop in 2021, the support from our customers has been amazing! We have built a very large customer base, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all! Without you guys, we would have crashed and burned, but you kept us going with your continued support, and we will be forever grateful.

"Please continue to support us, as we are still here. We will miss seeing you all in the shop, but we will still see you when we personally deliver your items to you."

You can follow their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BrickznBitz