USA Volks Store?...It might happen!

I think that any country has the opportunity to love dolls as much as Japan, but keep in mind that Japan does have a lot of very personal feelings about dolls.

When talking to Volks about this, they said things like... people in Japan come from a very traditional Japanese religious point of view (like Shinto-ism) in which everything has a spirit. If you look at dolls and doll clothes and anything else from that point of view, then there is more potential there for the dolls to be taken very seriously and loved very much. There are many fairy tales, myths and religious beliefs in Japan that include dolls too. Hina Matsuri (did I spell that right?) celebrates dolls every year and I know there are many other ones. I think there is a convention that very special dolls are not thrown away, that they are placed at the foot of a tree at a special time of the year. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't have my Japanese folklore/religion book next to me.

Those of us who are in America, we do have our own "mythologies" so to speak, modern ones even like "Toy Story" and the "Velveteen Rabbit" in which toys and dolls are very dear to their "owners" and even perhaps "real".

and really people are sensitive and passionate everywhere in the world, and have the potential to care very much about their dolls. But you can see how, coming from the kind of background that many Japanese people come from, that they could have a great potential to care about dolls very deeply.

That being said, I think this forum, as someone said, is a good example of how people in many countries care about their dolls very deeply, just like people in Japan do. And I'm sure there are plenty of people in Japan who don't care about dolls to that level too. It's hard to generalize, huh?

As to what I've heard, I think it will be in CA somewhere. (lucky me!) I"ve been dreaming about having a Volks store in USA for a long time, so for me this is like a dream come true!

As to things getting too mainstream,... it bothers me a little because I worry about how people who don't care as much or won't "understand how special these dolls are" in the same way that we do...
But you know we are lucky that we were able to find these dolls. Not everyone who is nice and wonderful has the internet or found BJDs and VOlks the way that we did.

I bet there are plenty of people all over the world who would love Volks dolls just as much as we do, but just hasn't had the opportunity to. Perhaps if they found a Volks store and walked in on a whim, they would be able to find them and see them.

I know that my friend, Janne, the first time she saw a Volks BJD was when she visited Japan. She didn't know anything about them and fell in love with them sitting in the store. She got online later and tried to find out more about them. I'm sure there are many people who would have the same experience.

I'm really looking forward to having a store here, and I really hope that everyone who visits the store gives Volks the warm kind and special welcome that they deserve. One of my major worries is that people will not treat Volks well enough, so I hope that all of you will prove my worries wrong.

 

You know, that really does help put the omukae ceremony into perspective. Thanks for bringing this up. I think about businesses as businesses, and generally a business' religious or spiritual beliefs don't really show through in their normal day-to-day operations (or show through in a totally perverted fashion). This helps to see where they're coming from. Buying the temple in Kyoto, the ceremony... it's all starting to make sense. I still can't really wrap my head around the omukae ceremony all the way, but this definitely helps see why some people take it as seriously as they do. I don't think I'd participate, but I can appreciate the thought behind it.

 

Yes, I really think that they hope your doll will actually personally bring you peace and happiness (like it says in the ceremony), not just that the doll's passive beauty by sitting on your shelf will give you peace, etc. I think its really sweet actually. It's like an adoption! It was a very beautiful ceremony, I almost cried!

 

I for one would love a VOlks store in the USA. I think it would start a trend, Americans like anything new. Come on guys any doll collector knows that back in the day Bed Dolls,Smokers,FLappper dolls were a common thing to see a girl carrying"flappers/Paris hiltons of the Day". So why not a repeat of that trend. Would make carrying a doll around look less goofy to others(maybe not!lol). I know it bugs me to take AVA out, other than doll shows, being a guy doesn't help.
Plus competition is good, you know that Mattel would join the BJD's, if the market gets hot enough. I love my Chiwoo as well as my Dollfie dream and he's a competitor. Being in retail myself I know the consumer likes choices,and Americans like cheap. So your gonna see knock offs arise, they always do. But Hey cheaper accessories! I know I think it's silly to buy a pair of doll shoes at the same price as my own(and Have). But, doll clothes at the same prices as I charge some of my cleints...No!
I'm tired of shopping stores looking for anything that will fit AVA or Luis(chiwoo),even my little Annabella(Leeke), to buy off the rack h@LL yeah!
I love dolls, really since I was little.I have fought many battles just to own mine over the years and I own 400 plus. I would never sell or get rid of any of them, but come on guys these dolls are no Jumeau's or Steiner's, really just their knock offs. I've made a few repo's myself the only diff,no firing! It's still sand, Paint and dress...and I think all dolls have a little something to them, when you see that quiet smile call to you. Why else would you want them"investments!"please...just my two cents..dlljunky

 

::crosses fingers for New York:: I'm just a train ride away!

Plus, I don't think the "Cali is closer to Japan!" arguement is really all that valid -- didn't Souldoll open their store in New York?

Or, I could deal with California, if I get accepted to a college there. I REALLY want to go to school out there, but my parents are all worried about the distance and it'll probably cost a fortune to go that far out of state. ;O;

 

Aww, i don't agree with the statement "nerds don't appricate pretty things". I'm a nerd, i cover all the nerd basics. Anime, comics, role playing games, renaissance fairs, toy collecting. I'm seriously nerdy. But i'm also a fashion designer and a doll collector. (well, if having one doll is considered a "collection") I love pretty things! :cry: you make me sad with your lack of faith in us geeks!

as far as volks having a store in the US, well, sure, there would be some negative side effects but i still like the idea. Lots of americans are willing to spend upwards of $500 on collectors dolls. I don't see celebrities getting into dollfies too much because of the unfortunante stigma of doll collecting. If i could get a dollfie in the US without having to pay all the extra fees, i'd be really happy.

~Erin

 

But all those fees (except shopping fees) will be covered somewhere in the price - and it is more likely there will be Customs Duties. Big shipments will not avoid them.. the small consumer often does. Then they will have to add the cost of the rental of the building.. and staff costs etc. Most will probably be absorbed - but as they will still be imported - the dollar fluctuation will still have the same effect etc.

Yes I can see it would be great to walk into a store and SEE them...but whether they become more accessible or more affordable will remain to be seen. I would imagine the demad would need to be pretty high to intice the copy cats..

It could be a really good thing.. it could be a bad thing.. or it could be a non event...

 

What do you think I do in my spare time when I am not collecting dolls? Hint: I work with computers and I eat a lot of junk food.

 

Oh wow.... to work at Volks....

 

But Volks was the first to make these dolls in resin form, in this particular style. Yes BJD were around before but take a good look at them and compare them to Volks. They are not even remotely alike. Most of those antiques tend have completely different proportions. Volks was the first to come up with this particular idea. They were the pioneers. The other companies did take Volks' idea and created their own work from it. And some created dolls just as lovely as Volks. But you still need to give credit where credit is due.

In the end we have lots of variety in the BJD scene so we should be greatful to all these wonderful companies for all their hard work creating such lovely dolls.

 

Any news on this?

 

Yeah, any new developments?

 

I know I'm coming in really late on this conversation, but I really hope that if there is a Volks shop, that it's in Boston, MA, that way I'd actually be able to go there once. o.O; ^_^;

 

Boston getting a store before LA or New York... oh, you're so cute and funny!

 

Huh.. I don't know if that was rude and uncalled for or not. Because I have been told that I am cute.. However, it's not impossible, so you shouldn't be rude. I bet there are some tiny bjd/dolls stores there already (especially in Chinatown).

 

I think she meant it jokingly ops:

Anyway, I thought it had been established that Volks went real estate hunting somewhere in CA?

 

that's what i was thinking...

 

I think it's already been "unofficially" announced that they will open the store in LA.