
AFTER 52 YEARS IN FULL TIME DOLLMAKING
FINAL DAYS ARE HERE
These now are really the final final days. As external issues including increased technology demands, obtaining supplies issues, lack of available qualified help, aging issues for myself, my husband, my workers and their families, and the declining market - to name a few factors, keep mounting up, I am face to face with the need to start putting the brakes on, well, everything. Sadly, it is no longer possible to sustain this small business.
Since I announced "the Final Days" last fall, I have been busier than ever before selling off as many things as are reasonable saleable at discounted prices. Selling out of all of my work, kits, patterns and supplies couldn't happen overnight and has indeed taken several more months than planned. Some items (patterns, kits, all Hitty kits and finished Hitty things) we continued to produce until supplies for these inevitably ran out. So, this follow up annoucement is to say, that all remaining items finished or kit are definitely in their final days.
I keep adding items we find in the attic and in the scores of storage boxes from all my years (51!) doll making. And I also have been selling my own shop samples (examples of my work) as I can bear to part with them. As I look ahead to the day I must retire the business, knowing it is a business impossible to sell, the only value I can retain is and will be selling all of these items. One must be realistic about just how much stuff one can fit into a retirement home. So, keep looking on these sale pages as I continue to smallen down.
So, what will be next? It will be hard for me to stop designing and making things to sell. I have been doing this since I was a little girl and at age 16, I opened a tiny shop to sell my hand made things in a former chicken coop which I renovated (including a re-roof) all myself (having been left home alone for a long weekend).
Into the future some ideas include re-issuing favorite kits or offer very small editions of favorites of my dolls, or even a new doll, or item. Once this website becomes outdated and cumbersome, I may start a blog. I will keep the mailing list to let customers know. |