Robert Bontenbal’s Old Fishing Store grew into a whole seaside world
A look back at the fan creator whose fishing hobby and architectural work met in a much-loved LEGO Ideas setting.
Two interests found the same shoreline
Robert Bontenbal’s Old Fishing Store offers a lovely example of a fan bringing outside interests to LEGO building. In a May 2018 LEGO Ideas interview, he described working as an architectural drafter and enjoying fishing and photography. He connected his nautical models with both his profession and his time fishing, including while living in the Caribbean.
That background helps explain why the setting has a life beyond its walls. A shop can be drawn as a building, but a fishing enthusiast can also imagine the reasons people stop there, what they need and what might be waiting outside.
A fan idea became a meeting place
The official release-day post dates the set’s launch to September 1, 2017. It recalls the project reaching 10,000 supporters over six weeks across December 2015 and January 2016, and Bontenbal’s signing visits to London, Paris, Berlin and Copenhagen. The photograph above comes from that official tour coverage.
This is a historical community story, not an announcement of new appearances. Its charm is the change in scale: an idea first shared online eventually gave fans a reason to meet its creator in person. The model became something people could discuss across a signing table as well as on a screen.
The building invites a closer look
LEGO’s product description identifies a shop and connected lookout tower, with two removable roofs and an opening rear wall. Four minifigures, a cat and three seagulls populate the 2,049-piece model. These are useful details for understanding its appeal as a little environment rather than just a facade.
Our reading is that access matters to the story. A roof that lifts away lets a viewer connect the outside character of a place with the activity inside. The animals add another layer: they suggest that the building belongs to a shoreline with its own daily traffic.
Follow the setting beyond one address
In the 2018 interview, Bontenbal discussed continuing the atmosphere with other nautical projects. That is a useful creative idea to take away without copying any particular building. Once a location has a clear purpose, its neighbors can emerge from the needs of the same imagined community.
For your own coastal scene, try writing down who arrives, what they carry and where they go next before adding another structure. A path, a waiting place or an unloading area might connect two models more convincingly than another large building. The rewarding part is deciding how separate creations belong to the same world.
Reporting checked October 9, 2026. Plans and programs can change; follow the linked organizations for current information.