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Would you go to a physical BJD store?

Dec 21, 2014

    1. If you had a physical store devoted to BJD in your area:

      Would you go to it?

      What would you expect to find there?

      What would you want it to have?

      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?

      If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??

      ECT...
       
      • x 17
    2. Heck, yes! Half of the fun in going to Japan is checking out not just the Volks stores, but Mandarake, etc.
      Mandarake has a little bit of everything in there - anime, manga, all sorts of different dolls and action figures.
       
      • x 2
    3. I help run a physical BJD store. We sell mostly clothes and accessories. It's a lot of fun but keeping it stocked is a challenge. We've been buying a lot online.
       
      • x 10
    4. My retirement dream is to have a doll store stocked with plenty of BJDs!

      Would you go to it?
      Go to it? I would live there!

      What would you expect to find there?
      Tons of wigs, clothes, and other accessories, because for many of us, a new doll isn't a regular impulse buy!

      What would you want it to have?
      I like the idea of a doll cafe. So not just items for sale, but a community atmosphere. Maybe a photography area with backdrops, accessories, and studio lighting. A well-lit area and a table for those who want to work on customizing. There's no better way to bond with others in a hobby than by working on your projects together.

      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
      I'd take my doll store however I could get it, but I'd prefer it to be as dolly-centric as possible. Related hobbies would be best, like Steiff animals.

      If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
      Only in my dreams....
       
      • x 21
    5. Would you go to it?
      Yes I wold love one I wish we had some more or bigger ones.

      What would you expect to find there?
      Dolls for sale wigs and clothes. All the supiles you would need for your dolls.

      What would you want it to have?
      I would want to to be selling some dolls there and not just pre-order stuff. Clothes and wigs for your dolls to try on so you could make sure that it looks good on your doll before you buy it. Maybe even a trade in spot where you could bring in old wigs and clothes in good condition and trade them in for store credit. Also make sure they had face up suplies maybe workshops one how to care for your doll.

      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
      Yes I wouldn't mind if they had other dolls or action figures or games anything that had to do with anime of modeling.

      If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
      No I have never been would like to one day.
       
      • x 5
    6. Would you go to it?
      Yes, I love stores that sell things of my interest! I also like being able to go to cons in order to find vendors there. ^^


      What would you expect to find there?
      Probably some of the more popular sculpts, new and used. Clothing, shoes, some props, and furniture.


      What would you want it to have?
      Music props for all sizes! It would be great if they had music stands and music sheets, too. Cosplay outfits would be cool too. ^^


      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
      Yes, I have no issues with other hobbies, and honestly it would probably need to in order to attract more people. (It would for sure need to sell candy or something for those who browse and end up just getting something small.)
       
      • x 2
    7. It would be nice to be able to buy a doll from a physical store.
      That way you know how exactly the doll looks like, and how the skin tone and texture looks like.
       
    8. I would go to a physical BJD store.

      I would expect/dream to find well repaired 2nd hand dolls for sale, to see the latest dolls available online 'in the flesh/resin' , clothes, shoes, wigs, eyes, fake food etc. in size range with a note about which clothes fit or could fit such and such dolls. As well as face-up artists, people doing on the spot repairs and well versed in resin modification. There should be a seamstress or more, and furniture makers or an area selling furniture in size range. There would be a Xmas season and an Halloween season etc... a variety of events reflecting different cultural highpoints in the year with the opportunity of buying some special goods (like miniature xmas trees etc.) during these events.

      To help, courses and art and craft classes could be offered to teach people how to make doll shoes, boots, eyes, do face up, etc. One of the main problem I have encountered is finding a sewing course for doll clothes.

      Craft people and electronics addicts selling human size goods should be encouraged to bring in main stream customers on the condition that they can provide miniature goods on the regular basis to the BJD addict.

      A café indeed would be great, as well as a bookshop area well stocked in BJD related books, comic books (European comic books in particular as its aesthetics are wildly different from the Mangas), crafts books etc...
       
      • x 2
    9. If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
      The Volks Showroom in Akihabara. Because it is a show room, the place was pretty big with various sections dedicated to certain goods like wigs, shoes, clothes and craft items like stands and hooks, etc. There is an area where the photography takes place. Downstairs there is a hobby shop stocked with everything you can think of. I got some gloss but I couldn't get any MSC because I was travelling by plane. The stuff at Volks is EXTREMELY expensive. The place is hard to miss as it is right outside the train station.

      I've been to O.D.zakka & Shenlefang, a local BJD store in Kaohsiung which is accessible by metrorail.
      There's some SD dolls on display in the central area, mostly Chinese brands as you can order dolls through them. There's certain areas dedicated to wigs, clothes, shoes, eyes, and accessories. Also a series of drawers where misc stuff is kept (wig caps, face masks, eyelashes, stringing tools etc). There's a low set of drawers where the visitor can put their doll stuff down and try out stuff. I'm really glad the owner allows that because half of the time, the stuff doesn't fit my dolls :...( Oh...and the dog takes up a specific area near the entrance so that's a feature of the shop, too. A lot of the items were made by local artists but I recognize certain items from Tata's Paradise. Upstairs are backdrops and setups that people can use to photograph their dolls, but for a price. I've been to this shop 3 times and always walked away with an armful of stuff.
      The owner has contacts with faceup artists and stringing services. She herself does mods for people.

      EDIT: This shop has moved to another area in the city (harder to get to) which I have yet to visit. A new BJD shop has taken its place called Dreamland the O.D.

      Dreamland the O.D. is completely different from the previous shop. Downstairs is the Cat Cafe where 2 very gorgeous cats roam (one was rescued while the other just rocked up one day). This is a great place for meetups, or if you come with someone who has no interest in dolls, they can at least wait in style instead of in the car. However, people who are allergic to cats need to stay away! They also sell a lot of cat-themed trinkets. If you order something to drink, they serve it in adorable cat-themed crockery.
      Upstairs is the BJD store where you are required to leave your bags at the counter. Because the shop is new, there wasn't a lot of items but I'm sure that would change soon. However, they do sell the usual crafty items such as MSC, face masks and caps. The great thing is that I was allowed to try stuff out because nothing really fits my EID. I did manage to walk away with a chair and a stand and a slew of other crafty items.

      La Blancheur, is located in Kaohsiung and accessible by car, taxi or scooter. It's actually a cafe/BJD shop where people can arrange meetups. There's a large glass cabinet displaying dolls and props covering almost an entire wall. Right opposite the cashier is the main display area where clothing from DollHearts and Freedom Teller are displayed (and a huge DO NOT TOUCH sign sits). A squared-off cabinet at the back is rented out to local artists who display their goods. Beneath this are more normal items such as masks, headcaps, elastic strings and MSC. Overall, the shop is small but it has a very good atmosphere, almost like a boutique shop. However, it feels less friendly as almost all items are either behind glass or not for touching or trying out. I only walked away with a can of MSC. It's nice, but a little stand-offish.

      The final shop in Koahsiung is CHECKCAT. The place is kind of hard to get to coz it's quite a ways from the metrorail. Unfortunately...I think it's cursed coz the first time I got there it was closed. The second time the place was under renovation.

      There is Doll's Villa in Taichung. Never been but from the items they have on display at the conventions I attended, they have a good selection of stuff.
       
      • x 3
    10. Would you go to it?Yeah!!! As someone else said, I'd LIVE there LOL
      What would you expect to find there?
      Dolls, clothes, shoes, furniture!!!!, accessories
      What would you want it to have?
      Furniture! Plus shoes & clothes to try on my dolls.
      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
      Sure!
      If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
      Never been to one, sadly.
       
      • x 2
    11. Would you go to it?
      Oh heck YES! :)

      What would you expect to find there?
      At least a few dolls, along with clothing, wigs and shoes. And eyes, of course.

      What would you want it to have?
      Secondhand dolls would be nice - maybe sold on consignment? That way you could be sure that the doll was legit. Maintenance supplies - elastic, stringing tools, S-hooks, eye putty, wig care supplies. Maybe supplies for doing faceups, too? Maybe even classes in restringing, faceup techniques, things like that?

      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
      Sure - there are so many hobbies that overlap with the BJD world - and if it helped keep the store going, even better.

      If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
      I haven't, yet.
       
      • x 1
    12. I certainly would go to one, up to a 100 mile drive away. I'd love it if the proprietor would have face-up services available and restringing. Considering the rental for commercial real estate, they'd pretty much have to offer other kinds of dolls, hobby supplies, anime or lolita goods, etc.
       
      • x 1
    13. Would you go to it?
      Heck yeah!

      What would you expect to find there?

      BJDs.

      What would you want it to have?
      Doll shoes, lots of 'em! Doll shoes I could try on my doll before buying. And a broad price range for dolls and doll things.

      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
      Absolutely. Bring on the Warhammer! lol :lol:

      If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
      Very cramped, no shoes. Kinda just went tor the thrill of it, but had nothing I could use.
       
    14. Would you go to it?
      Yes, I would love to go to a BJD store !

      What would you expect to find there?
      I would expect to find some in-stock BJD, BJD into display cases, clothes, shoes, wigs, eyes and accessories for sale.

      What would you want it to have?
      Everything I stated to the previous question. It would be great to also find a small corner to come with our dolls and to talk with others BJD lovers. And a diorama to take pictures with our dolls would be fun also.

      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
      It won't be a problem to me as long as the others hobbies aren't completely out of place compared to BJD.
       
    15. Would you go to it?
      I'd be there all my free time :love

      What would you expect to find there?

      Dolls for sale (pre-order), some clothes, shoes, wigs and acessories.

      What would you want it to have?
      Dolls for sale (dolls ready to be bought, not pre-order), dolls parts. animal parts, doll pets. In a perfect world the store would also provide a face up/body blushing service, hospital service, tools for painting, sewing, and all kinds of clothing, shoes, acessories, wigs. I saw someone talking about a cafe, where a community would meet and talk, take photos, and lots of stuff together. It would be awesome!

      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
      No problem as long as the hobbies are related somehow.

      If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
      Never. (depression) :...(
       
      • x 1
    16. Would you go to it?
      Yes, If it was kinda close. I'd be willing to drive 2-3 hours to check it out:XD:
      What would you expect to find there?
      Hopefully, furniture, props, clothes, wigs, shoes, acc., and dolls
      What would you want it to have?
      A place to take pictures of your dolls, or a cafe for the owners to meet.
      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
      Other hobbies are fine, as long as its kind of related ^.^
       
    17. Would you go to it?
      Yep. I sure would. I think most of us - if we had a fairly local brick and mortar doll shop we'd go.

      What would you expect to find there?
      Dolls and figures of various types + clothes, accessories, furniture, books & related hobby supplies.

      What would you want it to have?
      All of the above + a small area to socialize with other collectors & take photos.

      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
      Absolutely. I think bjds are a niche of doll & toy collecting - so whatever the shop owner needed to do to keep the foot traffic flowing and generate revenue would be a good idea.

      If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
      I've been to a few a Korea and they were awesome. NineNine Style is probably the type of set up that most of us would enjoy. They have several photo prop areas, decent size cafe type area, dolls on display + clothes, shoes, wigs, etc.
       
    18. If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
      I have indeed been to one; unfortunately, it's been so long that I can't remember the shop's name anymore, and it was in an area where I no longer live. Because of the specialization of the shop, it was open "by appointment only," but the owner was very friendly and happy to have people come just to look around and buy less expensive things like clothes, rather than having to come in meaning to buy a doll. She mainly specialized in SD-scale dolls (and I got a very cute dress for the SD I had at the time, which was included when I sold her later), and had lots of very lovely displays of them, along with the expected accessories like clothes, wigs, eyes, and shoes. It was fun to visit, but since it was "by appointment only," I rarely had a reason to set up a time to go there, so I only went once.

      I did go a few times to a different doll shop, though, that wasn't far away. It wasn't specifically a BJD shop, however, she had a lot of items that could be used for them, and several of the older sets of eyes and wigs I own came from that shop. Particularly in the case of one specific head with eyes of unknown size, it was nice to pop in and try out different sized eyes until we found the ones that fit, rather than ordering several and having a lot of misses before finding the right ones.
       
    19. Would you go to it? Yes

      What would you expect to find there? Probably not much here in the US as opposed to Japan and S. Korea

      What would you want it to have? Dolls, clothes, spare parts, paint supplies, rare items posters etc.

      Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too? Yes

      If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it?? Yes a small one in Japan over 12 yrs ago, I was looking for model ships.
       
    20. I would love to be able to go to a physical BJD store and be able to SEE the doll that I am buying. I am getting fussier the more I learn about this hobby and it would be better to be able to compare bodies. Also, it would be nice if there was some kind of community around the store where you could sign up for courses, (face ups and sewing for beginners, that kind of thing) and meet like-minded people. My daughter is involved with Warhammer and the little community that revolves aroudn the Games Workshop locally has been an oasis in the desert for her.
       
      • x 4