Heartless thieves have stolen $6,000 worth of products from a Melbourne community Lego store offering vulnerable children a safe place to play.
Brick Evolution, the community-focused Lego store in Cheltenham, was targeted in a smash-and-grab robbery on Monday, November 2, with thieves bagging $6000 worth of products in under five minutes.
This was not the first time the store has been targeted, as thieves previously stole $60,000 worth of Lego in another break-in.
Store owner Chris Hurwood, who uses the space to run NDIS programs and other workshops, was left heartbroken after the incident.
“The heart was pounding, and the gut was dropped and the nervous shakes and I couldn’t, you know, the hands are like this,” he said.
“It’s more than just a job. It’s, this is, this is sort of everything. This is my saviour back into the community,” he continued.
Hurwood opened the store in 2025, inspired by his own struggles with PTSD and mental health.
“This is a community store. This is a family store.
“I sort of opened up my heart, reached out to the community and said, what do you need?”
Hurwood has warned online shoppers to question Lego sets selling for “less than retail price”.
“Anyone who’s shopping for Lego online and comes across a product that’s being sold for less than retail price, question why that is,” he said.
“Ask the person why they’re selling a $500, $600, $700 Lego set for $200.”
For now, the Lego shop owner is doing everything he can to prevent another robbery, including installing bollards outside the store, and not letting the criminals win.
“(The way forward is to) perhaps be the better man, staying open, soldiering through it,” he said.
Image: 7News
