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I’ve been out of town and mostly offline for a few weeks, and much has happened during that time.

Convention News

The Modern Doll Collectors Convention has reorganized and reincorporated with a new name.  They are now know as Modern Doll, Inc. - or MDI.

Their board of directors has been drastically reduced in what appears to be an effort to streamline their finances.  When I joined their board in 2003, there were nine directors.  That number has decreased to five this year.

The big surprise was the loss of Judith Whorton, who has been associated with the convention for 28 years.

If you have ever attended an MDC convention, you have benefited from Judith’s work in many ways - especially if you had allergies or specific food needs. Judith took her duties very seriously, she was always aware that a mistake could be a medical catastrophe for an attendee.

Judith’s programs have delighted Modern Doll Attendees, if you have been lucky enough to attend one, you know what I’m talking about. She has been an expert on dolls for many years, also, but I wonder how many of you know just how much of an expert?

Judith was on the staff of UFDC “Doll News” for ten years, and the editor of that magazine for six. UFDC gave her the “Award of Excellence.”

She also edited both the national and regional souvenir books for UFDC.  Judith wrote the “Ask the Expert” column for Dolls magazine for a number of years, and co-authored “All Dolls are Collectible.” She has also taught Creative Writing at the University of Alabama. I can’t remember all of her accomplishments, but there are lots more.

Tonner Doll Convention

Tonner has announced the location and details of their 2008 Convention, which will be held near Chicago, Illinois from May 16th-18th.  For more information, visit http://www.tonnerdoll.com.

Kish Convention

The big surprise in Denver was not the special Tonner Sculpt of Helen Kish - but  the introduction of a new doll in a 10 inch size - Grace - and nary a Riley to be seen.  Despite the disappointment, the attendees are in agreement that they had a wonderful time.

Ball Jointed Doll News

Goodreau Dolls has announced the retirement of the resin edition of their American BJD dolls.

Marl & B has begun shipping a limited edition of 150 Sybarites in their second annual store exclusive.  The doll is named “Limousine” and is, as always, fabulous.  For more information - http://www.marlbe.com.

Berdine Creedy has announced she will be producing a new doll in 2008 with magnetic joints, for more information, keep an eye on their website. - http://www.berdinecreedy.com.

Blind Items

Now, for the dish - blind, just like Ted Casablanca!

1. We’ve been told that a doll manufacturer of some reknown has a really big surprise in store for IDEX attendees this year. So surprising, in fact, that company suits barely even discuss it with each other!
2. A little birdy told us that there have been several unannounced resignations at one doll organization - and at least one of the disgruntled resignees has whispered that those leaving did so to avoid having to interact with a particular person.
3. There are whispers that some doll and toy manufacturers are considering moving some of their production out of Asia, due to concerns over lead products.  Where will they go?  Don’t be surprised if US manufacturing returns in 2009 - along with higher prices.  A lot depends on the proposed “Guest Worker” visas being considered by our politicians - and who gets elected.
4. A surprisingly talkative insider tells us that selling direct online is in the works for several manufacturers - more than one has tested the waters this year - and several more are investigating their options.

I’ll be back next week with new articles, updates, and news.

Okay, here’s the deal.  I have, literally, drawers full of dollhouse miniatures I’ve been saving for years, never mind how many.

A couple of years ago, I bought this 9-Inch Deep Display Case Kit from www.miniatures.com. 

It’s been sitting in a box in the garage, waiting for me to have time and inspiration to do something with it.  I decided that today was the day. 

Time to begin

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We’d all like to go to every convention that interests us. 

Most doll collectors have to pick and choose - balancing the purchase of special dolls for their collection against the cost of attending conventions.

What does it cost to go?

Every convention is different.  Registration fees for conventions typically include a special souvenir doll, a bag full of giveaways that range from really cool gifts to a lot of advertising flyers.

Some conventions, like IFDC include several meals with the registration fee, too.  Most charge an extra fee for a variety of meal events that also include souvenir dolls.

Using four conventions I am very familiar with, let’s run down the costs of attending. I’ve put them in alphabetical order, and used 2007 costs.

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Today we begin on the section concerning selling online.  Some of you will be very nervous about the idea, afraid you won’t be able to do the html coding required.

The good news is that there are many website options that require little or no knowledge of html.  There are many shopping cart options that require little or no knowledge of html, too.

The important thing is that your shop NEEDS some sort of website - even if it is just a single page describing your shop, where it is located, store hours, and contact information.

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Before we get into the mechanics of selling your inventory, there are a couple of things you are going to need to complete the sale.

If you have not already done so, you need to figure out what you are going to do about a cash register.  You will also want to order two-part sales tickets to aid in keeping your inventory and doing your taxes.

When you fill out your sales forms, be sure to put a detailed description of the item sold on the ticket.  If you don’t have time to do that - how in the world will you find the time to sit down and recreate each sale and remember the details?

There are computer programs that will handle your inventory and sales using your computer.  We suggest that you not invest a large amount of money in one of these systems until you are financially solvent.

You will need shopping bags and shipping boxes.  We suggest www.papermart.com - a resource we’ve grown to trust.

Advertising

You need to let people know your shop exists.  There are several ways to do this, we’ll list the free resources first.

Local Newspaper - visit your local newspaper office in person, carrying a press release and excellent photographs of the exterior and interior in your hand.  Ask if you can talk to the business reporter.  Tell them about your shop and invite them to visit it at their convenience.

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