UK first Lego seller marks 70 years in business

A family-run shop that was the UK's first retailer of Lego is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a special display.

Osborne's in Rushden, Northamptonshire, was established in 1955 and has since had four generations of the family working there.

To mark the anniversary, it has a window display showcasing vintage toys from each decade from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Will Osborne, current owner and son of founder Jim Osborne, said: "We thought we'd have a little celebration on Saturday to mark the occasion. [The anniversary] is important to us but it's important to the community as well."

Jim and Pam Osborne opened the shop in 1955 and placed an order for Lego after seeing it at a trade fair while on honeymoon in Brighton in 1960.

Will Osborne said his parents "walked up to the Lego stand as the first customers".

It was for the Danish toymaker's 60th birthday in 2018 it checked its records and discovered that Osborne's were the first shop in the UK to sign up as a stockist.

That year the company transformed the shop's frontage with 277,500 Lego bricks, replicating the storefront in intricate detail.​

It took 41 people to create, but was only there for three days before being dismantled earlier this week.

The shop remains a family-run business and offers traditional toys, including teddy bears, Hornby trains, and Lego sets, as well as more contemporary toys.

Sales assistant Kasey Cheetham, granddaughter of Will's wife Libby Osborne, said: "It's like a second home. We're here all week, and we treat customers like they're part of our family."​

Mr Osborne said: "When my father started he had a few guiding principles: he wanted a full-stocked shop with good quality products, and a friendly and personal service.

"And we've tried to do that right up until this day. The fact we're still here means there's probably something in it!"

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