Miniature Store

While thinking about buying some sort of floor tiling to go with my new kitchen set, I remembered that there is a miniature store about a 25 minute drive from my house. The store also carries Calico Critters; this is where I bought Britney's Ballet Recital for my younger daughter. And apparently there is a basement area full of clothes and furniture for 18" dolls. I haven't even checked that out yet!

Not only did I find something for my dolls' kitchen floor, I got more time to look around the shop and realize how much it's going to get me into shopping trouble! Yes, the shop mostly caters to 1/4" scale miniatures. But those of us who create spaces for Playscale size dolls can't always be picky. I've since bought another sheet of plastic that looks like tile, for a backsplash for my kitchen, and two pieces of dollhouse carpeting. She also carries wallpaper, so I can get that too. She did have a few rolls that were in 1/6 scale, but they were too obviously made to go into a Barbie dollhouse for a little girl.

Plus, she carries miniature scaled fabric! They are sold in very small cuts, but then you probably don't need a full yard for a doll project very often. I bought myself some China silk. I've heard it's great for lining doll clothes, but I've never tried it. Seeing a small piece at a good price right in front of my eyes made it irresistible. I also bought a few more colors of mini scale rick-rack. She carries these in small bundles, and I bought a few different colors when I bought Britney the bunny. I picked up a few lighter summer colors this last trip.

According to this article, there are only 64 brick-and-mortar miniature stores nationwide! I feel very blessed to have one so close to where I live, and the area around the store is charming. As it's literally right by an active railroad track, as well as the home of the antique Grand Pacific Hotel, the shopping area is called Grand Pacific Junction, and there are some railway themed pieces here and there among this small group of stores, a couple of eateries, and a wedding chapel. It's mostly all connected by small paths, and all the buildings are rather quaint. There's a quilt store which carries fabric and also my current sewing machine and serger brand, so I could spend a lot more money there! I think now I'm going to have to take a trip this summer and take a bunch of pictures to show how delightful Grand Pacific Junction is.

And very soon I will put up pictures of my kitchen!