The Wapi Bricks story
Built one set at a time.
What began with a lifelong love of LEGO became an online store, a community, a brick-and-mortar destination, and a growing operation built for whatever comes next.
Start at the beginning
01 — The beginning
A childhood collection became the starting inventory.
Wapi Bricks was created by owner Zach Zuleger. He had been getting LEGO since he was four years old, and growing up, LEGO was all he wanted as a gift. Christmas brought new sets. eBay brought minifigure lots. Goodwill bulk buys added loose bricks and unexpected finds. Over time, all of it became a real collection—and an education in the hobby.
The summer before college, Zach began looking for a way to make LEGO part of his career and his everyday life. The inventory he had received and collected growing up became the fuel for an online store. Wapi Bricks opened on BrickLink on July 23, 2019.
On the first day, Zach listed his childhood minifigures. Within hours, the store made its first sale for more than $100, and he was hooked. Selling the collection was never the end of his passion for LEGO. It was how he found a way to build a life around it.
02 — A name of its own
Watermelon + pizza = Wapi.
Zach wanted a unique, two-syllable name for the new store. He asked his brother Ellis to think of a word while he chose one too. Ellis picked “watermelon.” Zach picked “pizza.” They combined the two, and Wapi Bricks was born.
After that first sale, Zach sold through the rest of his childhood collection, searched out other people's collections, and looked for deals on LEGO sets at Walmart, Costco, Amazon, and beyond. He continued buying and reselling LEGO throughout college.
04 — Out of the basement
The first Wapi Bricks storefront.
After graduating college, Zach brought Wapi Bricks to a brick-and-mortar location in West Bend, Wisconsin. The first store was only 500 square feet, but it moved the business out of his parents' basement and gave Wapi a place of its own.
It was open to the public for just one month, but a lot happened: Wapi ran its first Instagram minifigure auction, started selling on Whatnot, and welcomed LEGO Star Wars YouTuber MandRproductions for a full store video.
05 — Room to grow
From 500 square feet to 5,000.
One day, a local business owner visited the little store and talked with Zach about partnering to bring Wapi Bricks to a much larger location. After numerous meetings, they moved forward together. Within a few months, Wapi Bricks moved into a 5,000-square-foot store in West Bend.
The new location held its grand opening on August 13, 2022. The community welcomed Wapi Bricks with open arms—and continues to do so today.
On December 22, 2023, Zach and his business partner agreed it was in Wapi Bricks' best interest to part ways. Zach bought out his partner and became the sole owner, with the goal of making Wapi Bricks the best LEGO resale store in the world.
06 — The biggest collection yet
A 26-foot truck and a story seen by millions.
In November 2025, Adrienne emailed Wapi Bricks about the biggest LEGO collection the team had ever seen. She was selling on behalf of her late father, Alex, an avid lifelong LEGO collector.
Zach and Isaiah traveled to Syracuse, New York, where the collection filled nearly an entire 26-foot U-Haul. Wapi spent $165,000 in total: $125,000 on sealed sets and another $40,000 primarily on minifigures.
Content from the collection amassed more than 30 million short-form views. The long-form video became Wapi's best-performing YouTube video, with more than 800,000 views, bringing new collectors and new collection opportunities to the business.
07 — The warehouse chapter
Online growth needed a home of its own.
As Wapi Bricks' online operation grew, it eventually outgrew the store. Large collection buys needed a dedicated place to land, and the team needed room to set up, run, and ship Whatnot streams without competing with the day-to-day work of the retail floor.
Before the warehouse, a large collection could clog the store's lanes, crowd every available work area, and make the space overwhelming and difficult to operate. The new warehouse has alleviated those problems.
It gives the team room to process big buys, run online operations, and move inventory more seamlessly. It also gives the store itself more breathing room, so customers can enjoy the space while new inventory keeps cycling through.
The story is still being built
Every collection adds another chapter.
Shop what has arrived, bring us a collection of your own, or visit Wapi Bricks in West Bend.