I own and operate BrickFair ([url="http://www.BrickFair.com"]www.BrickFair.com[/url]), an annual LEGO fan convention held each August in Virginia, just outside Washington DC.

Each year I try to add a little something new and fun for the public. I recently realized I had no such thing this year. I do have a long list of tasks, things to buy, things to build, web pages to create, and debug. But none of this will be noticed by the public; it's all to help me pack faster, ship more safely, etc. So I got to brainstorming. With the months ticking down, what could I whip together for the public that would be cute and fun and easy?

[u]Vending LEGO pieces from bulk toy machines.[/u]

[color=#0000cd][i]That sounds cute and fun![/i][/color] I thought. Although I prefer to add things that are free for the public (having already paid to enter the show), like last year's self-serve photo booth. But this would be cute and fun and different - and would cost mere quarters.

The idea stuck, and I couldn't shake the urge. I talked myself into it, depsite the hurdles and economic reality.

This blog will be my journey to creating my unique vending station. I hope others on Vendiscuss find it interesting, as everything in my plan is a bit [i]different[/i] from the norm. My business, my requirements, my vision, my expectations - none of them match anything else I've read. This should be, at the very least, [i]different[/i].

I will strive to update frequently, as my project does have a firm deadline - BrickFair is the first weekend of August. I hope I don't regret starting this blog so early. It would be safer to wait until real progress is made. If I change my mind, or simply fail, this blog will haunt me. But I expect to have fun with this. So I'm diving in. I hope someone decides to follow along.

More to come...