Rotterdam

blade_guy

Anyone know what stores there are in Rotterdam? I looked online and couldn't find many... is De Bouwsteen Shop closed?

CCC

I haven't been for a year or so, but there used to be a Bart Smit and an Intertoys in Rotterdam. Don't expect any good prices on lego in either.

blade_guy

I won't... I caught an Intertoys in Amersfoort - that place was EXPENSIVE... I want to get the Solar Figure LED Lamp that was released a few years ago - I know it was previously available in Russia and in Holland...

alldarker

I work in Rotterdam and I am there right now. As mentioned, there are still several Bart Smit stores and several Intertoys stores here, but the prices are equal to or higher that of standard Dutch RRP. To be honest the selections of sets are pretty good (the existence of these toy store chains in the Netherlands is the reason there is no official Lego Store here).
However, a much better option is to take the train or bus to Delft (about 10 miles North) and visit the A-Tembo (non-official) Lego dedicated store, which has around 20% discount on all RRP. And Delft is a pretty town to walk around, in around two hours...

Ava626

I live in Rotterdam, and there aren't any specialized Lego stores. The Bouwstenen shop is closed, and now only has a webshop and a shop in a whole other part of The Netherlands (about a 2 hour drive).
There are the regular toy stores such as Bart Smit and Intertoys in Rotterdam, but they rarely have any special offers, though I did see the Simpsons House, which is named a rare set by Lego.
As alldarker said, A-Tembo is a good alternative, and you could look at Zevenspoor (www.zevenspoor.nl), they sometimes have interesting sets. It is located in a village next to Rotterdam and has a really helpfull owner who also has a (somewhat) large collection of (retired) sets at home. SO if you are looking for something special, give them a call first.
If you don't mind taking the train, you could also go to Gouda, to PlayToday (www.playtoday.nl). Just like Delft, Gouda is also a touristic town that you could spend some time. PlayToday is the biggest Lego shop in this part of The Netherlands and has really nice displays. They rarely have retired sets though.

Galactus

alldarker said:

(the existence of these toy store chains in the Netherlands is the reason there is no official Lego Store here).

I didn't know that. Is it speculation or did TLG come up with that 'excuse'? I always thougt it was because of the abundancy of LEGO stores just across the border, relatively speaking of course.

Maybe now that all Bart Smit and ToysXL stores are being converted into Intertoys there's a slim chance we'll be getting our own official LEGO store? Probably not, but one can hope/dream...

sid3windr

Yeah, that would be a weird reason. Belgium is way smaller and also has Maxitoys, Bart Smit, Fun, Dreamland, ... yet still has a Lego Store.