Would you go to a physical BJD store?

Except for buying dolls at big box retail stores I've never actually been to any kind of physical doll store. I would like to visit one with any kind of dolls. It wouldn't have to be just BJD dolls though that would be fun.

 

Would you go to it?
Absolutely!

What would you expect to find there?
Probably some in-stock dolls, but probably mostly wigs, clothes, eyes, and other sccesories.

What would you want it to have?
Aside from the stuff I would expect, I’d like to see 1/3 furniture!

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
Yea I wouldn’t mind. The more the merrier.

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
I haven’t but I purchased doll stuff from cons before and it was fun.

 

Would you go to it?
Most definitely!

What would you expect to find there?
Fully done dolls, blanks, some parts/accessories, etc.

What would you want it to have?
Would love it to be like an old-school hobby shop where you can find DIY stuff, paint, furniture, accessories, etc to go along with the BJDs.

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
Absolutely fine and encouraged!

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
None around and all the Hobby Shops that were around are now closed for good

 

Would you go to it?
Yeah, for sure. I'd probably go often- I'm sure it'd be good for maintaining the hobby and building an even stronger sense of a local BJD community.

What would you expect to find there?
A few dolls, clothes, shoes, furtnire etc, things doll-sized for sale.

What would you want it to have?
Maybe a little café/community area for doll meet-ups or other things of the type; Maybe there'd be temporary artists sale things. Like little pop ups?

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

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it?
I never went to a BJD specific store, but I went to a doll hobby story for like smart dolls and stuff back when I was in japan; but I wasn't even into BJDs back then, just pullips. I thought it was sick and I went back a few times during my stay.

 

Would you go to it?
Yes! Of course I would! I would love to be able to shop and see the items in person. Even a local doll/hobby shop that was welcoming to the hobby I would go to!

What would you expect to find there?
I would expect the average run of the mill stuff. Doll clothing and accessories, props and furniture, customization supplies, maybe a small (hopefully moderate) amount of dolls in stock for sale.

What would you want it to have?
Everything listed above along with a place that meetups can be held, maybe a small selection of snacks as well in the meetup area?

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
Totally! I am into many different hobbies and I would love to see other hobbyists interact with the doll community and hobby. Bring new faces into the mix and allow for the BJD hobby to reach new audiences.

 

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

Would you go to it? Of course, I would go all the time if I lived near by to one, I believe in supporting our community.

What would you expect to find there? A curated assorment of artist BJDs along with a mix of dolls from companies like Dollmore,CP/Fairyland, or Ipplehouse.

What would you want it to have? It would be amazing if it was like a department store for BJDs. It would be nice if the store is organized by scale. For example, MSD to the left, SD to the right.

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too? Yes, crossover hobbies that complement BJDs like Dollhouses and other miniatures lends itself well to BJD store.

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it?? Years ago, I went to a BJD store and had so much fun picking out doll clothes and seeing other doll brands in person. Sadly, I haven't shopped in brick-and-mortar store since before the pandemic. Now that things have stabilized I plan to shop more in person.

 

I would love to go to a physical bjd store. It sounds so fun because you can see the doll in detail yourself and get to experience the doll before you purchase it.

 

Would you go to it?
I would for sure check it out! I'd want to support the place so it could stay here.

What would you expect to find there?
I'm not really sure. I'd hope for dolls I could maybe buy right on the spot and take home to love immediately.

What would you want it to have?
Supplies for stringing and faceup. If I could ask them questions in person there it would be a lot easier to me to learn about doing my own faceups and such.

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
Other hobbies would be neat, but I'd prefer it at least mildly fit the theme. Like models or other types of dolls.

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
One day I hope to go to one...

 

Would you go to it?
I like love to have a physical store that I could pick up supplies from

What would you expect to find there?
Msc number one, lol. Pastels paints. Basically a hobby store. Obviously bjd's and other kinds of dolls, probably war hammer and Gundam since there's supply cross over and diversity is required to survive.

What would you want it to have?
Basically dealer type stuff like wigs, clothes, shoes. Stuff I can try on so if I can get an idea of how to dress dolls. I always forget numbers so I get confused going between webpages figuring shoe size.

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
I went to a Gundam store for msc today...I have gone to Warhammer stores looking for supplies and I've survived off Texas art supply, jerries art a rama, and Michaels before this. Whatever it takes for the physical doll stores to make their money.

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
Hopefully one day...but not yet

 

Would you go to it?
YES YES YES!!!

What would you expect to find there?
Dolls, clothes, accesories, furniture, albums, articles for customisation like paints etc

What would you want it to have?
a place to sit and review albums/doll catalogues

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
I don't mind, but it should be huge space XD

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
no

 

Yes! That sounds like a lot of fun, because I love windowshopping. I think that it would be cool to see some fullset displays in-person. It would also be neat to browse through little racks of clothes like a regular store (I know that is not how it would work probably, but it would be cool). I would absolutely be fine with it having other hobbies, I think it is fun to check out new things.

 

Man… going to a physical BJD store sounds like a dream come true for me. The only downside would be that guilty feeling you get whenever you walk out of a store without buying anything after seeing the price tags! Though if they had layaways, then that would be a game changer.

 

I think some people went to the Doll point Volks and Dolk Radio Kaikan in Tokyo, but did anyone go to the other Dolk location in Akihabara? It's tucked in a quiet little side street and was a challenge to find as the google map was very inaccurate. I managed to get there by sheer luck but unfortunately the first floor was closed though the second floor was opened. If the Kaikan Dolk was disappointing in the doll clothes and accessories department, I recommend finding this other location!

 

Would you go to it? Yes, definitely! It sounds like it'd be tons of fun.

What would you expect to find there? Probably wigs, clothes, and accessories! maybe common tools as well, like eye putty.

What would you want it to have? Maybe dolls and clothes from independent artists! I think that would be a great way to support the smaller BJD businesses.

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too? Sure, things would probably be better that way for business.

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it?? Sadly no, I'm not even sure if there is a BJD store in my area.

 

It is a dream of mine to visit a bjd store Sadly, that would probably never happen unless I visit Japan. Sweden is the last place anyone would open a doll store i think lol. But if they did, maybe stockholm?

It would be lovely to buy clothes and take photos, aswell as physically buy the dolls themselves. Plus, seeing a doll in person would help a lot if you are ever on the fence about buying it!

 

I don't know about Stockholm, but threre is still a doll store in Kosta, called Margarethas Dockskåp. It's not a BJD store, but she does carry some eyes and wigs that can absolutely be used and she has a HUGE amount of miniatures of different scales. The lady who owns the store is also super nice. If you ever happen to be in the vicinity I highly recommend a visit. And talk to her while you are there, it's a small space and not everything is on display.
There used to be several more doll stores in Sweden but most have closed one by one. We should support whatever is left. There is a wierd devide between the older doll collectors who thends towards porcelain art dolls or doll house miniatures and the younger generation. Margaretha herself har mentioned that a few times BJD people have come into the store and simply left again when they don't see any obvious BJD stuff on the shelfes. Some have also been a bit rude and snobby about things like quality and prize, constantly comparing in store stock to what they can get online, completely missing the fact that this stuff they can see in person and even often try on their doll before buying.
It's sad, because many of the old doll interest groups and communities are dying off (Margaretha even used to publish newsletters and I believe even a magazine for a while) and it's so unneccesary, because ther ARE lots younger doll enthusiasts, the two groups just don't talk to each other very much and the younger generation is very shut in, not trevelling to fairs unless it's advertized straigt at them and all their friends are going too and never branching out from their chosen type of doll, even to show some interest.

 

Wow, I had no idea! If I am ever in the area i’ll be sure to check it out. Would definitely want to support the doll stores that are still left

 

Would you go to it?
It depends. I live in a really hot environment and the sun makes me feel sick for some reason. If I move to a colder state i would maybe go depending on how I feel. I have a lot of old injuries from childhood that were left untreated, so i have a lot of aches depending on how my body feels I think I would go.

What would you expect to find there?
I would expect a lot of bjd dolls that are second hand and a small selection of new bjds. I feel like it would be a second hand bjd doll shop. I think it would have other things for customers who randomly popped into a specialized store. I like to think they would have items like barbie, kikipop, books on dolls, Asian snacks, a small selection of Asian albums, and I would like to see second hand and new official kdrama box sets, doll magazines, kpop items, anime, cute plushies, and cute clothes.

What would you want it to have?
Same answer as previous one

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
Yes, otherwise the business probably wouldn't survive unless they did mostly online sales. It would msot likely get random customers that browse because they didn't know what kind of store it is. I think there would be bjd customers, but not enough in the area to survive.

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
Never been to one. I would like to go.

 

Would you go to it?
Absolutely! I love niche hobby stores, and would definitely prefer purchasing from brick-and-mortar rather than online if I had the chance.

What would you expect to find there?
A BJD store in my area (given that there really isn't any online in EU any more either) would be pretty utopic of an idea, so realistically I would expect all kinds of different collectable dolls and accessories.

What would you want it to have?
In an ultimate fantasy world, I would imagine some in-stock dolls, a faceup workshop, some clothing, eyes, wigs, stands, elastic, perhaps a nice little gathering area to meet up with other collectors regularly! It would be lovely if it was an open space to learn doll-related crafts and have a chance to do in-person troubleshooting, for instance.

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
The absolute dream would be a dedicated space! But of course, there is so much overlap, it only makes sense to share with other types of figurines, asian pop-culture etc.

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
I wish! I would definitely really love to visit one of the Volks stores one day.

 

Would you go to it?
Yes! There used to be one in my country, but it closed down years ago :'(

What would you expect to find there?
Doll clothes, eyes, wigs, second hand dolls, and display only dolls. it would be nice to be able to go to a physical location and get a better idea visually how big dolls are before taking the plunge.

What would you want it to have?
I would greatly appreciate if such a store would have a restringing service or a doll cleaning service! just general maintenance stuff. would be nice to seek advice from staff too.

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
I don't expect a store like that to sustain itself solely on bjd sales (it's just not realistic), but would be cool to have other niche dolls aimed at adults like pullips or blythes!

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
i've been to a store that sold dollfie dreams. DD's are bigger than i thought!