Like many people, I grew up surrounded by bricks, mostly from the collections of the 1990s. Countless hours of play, first with my father, then on my own. As growing up, hours of play became hours of building, creating, imagining.
The years go by, the child grows up, the bricks find themselves dismantled, put away, protected from light and dust.
And many years later, a gift from my lover. The Millennium Falcon is waiting for me on the table on my way home from a party. Memories come flooding back, passion reborn. The following summer, I decide to to take advantage of a vacation at my parents' to go through all my childhood sets. I discovered Bricklink and its second-hand market. then some sets that had marked me as a child...
Once all these sets had been rebuilt and recompleted, it was time to put them away again.
Then the thinking began: couldn't they be put to better use? Used to please others? But without having to sell them and lose them permanently for all that.
Could we increase the lifespan of these toys? They're made of plastic, so it would be interesting to make them useful for as long as possible in order to limit their ecological footprint.
And can we make them accessible to more people? After all, these toys are quite expensive. And yet, they are very beneficial to children's development, their imagination...
What if...I rented them?
Quick Internet searches: there are rental companies abroad, nothing in France. Well well. Let's keep that in the back of our minds.
After a few years and major life changes, this idea has resurfaced. New Internet searches. Well, some people have taken the plunge in France. Congratulations to them for taking the plunge :)
I get in touch with Fabien from BriquesDelices, and we start talking a bit about his experience, what works well, what's more laborious. This confirms my that I want to try something on this subject. Fabien, thank you!
And then the idea takes shape: if more and more people want to start renting bricks, why not help them do it? Make it so that everyone can rent out their models without having to create a website, a company, etc.? Why not develop a platform to put renters and owners in touch with each other?
At the end of 2021, the decision is made: I'm going for it. Setting up a micro-business, thinking about constraints, processes, data model. How to avoid scammers? How to reassure users? How best to simplify their experience? How to avoid conflicts with the LEGO® brand?
And then web development, web development, web development. It's a great way to get back into the swing of things, discover new technologies and make progress.
And here we are: September 2022, the website is online, we're waiting for the first users, we hope they'll be satisfied and that this project will find its audience and prove its worth.
Welcome to LocaBriques! We hope you enjoy it.
