LEGO PARADISE. This Osseo hobby store is unlike any other in the area: it's a LEGO Gold Standard store.

Nestled in the heart of downtown Osseo in a building over 100 years old, is a veritable gaming and hobby goldmine. Board & Bricks, across the street from the Norske Nook restaurant, is part of an elite list of retailers classified as LEGO Gold Standard stores.

Boards & Bricks opened in 2022 when owners Kathy Awe and A.J. Irsik moved from Utah and wanted to use their knowledge about the gaming industry in a new way – so they opened a store. “Nobody comes in mad to buy LEGOs, so it’s a pretty great place,” Kathy said.

Retailers with the Gold Standard certification offer an incredibly vast array of LEGO products, and that’s what you’ll find at Boards & Bricks. They carry the majority of the LEGO company’s current lineup of products, including LEGO’s UCS (Ultimate Collector Sets) that include massive themed sets, and even difficult-to-find sets that have been phased into retirement by LEGO.

“You’ll find LEGO sets here you won’t find almost anywhere else,” Kathy said.