Would you go to a physical BJD store?

Would you go to it?

Yes, all of the yes!

What would you expect to find there?

I'd like to see clothes and accessories and if they had face up and restringing there that'd be really nice!


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

Yeah. Like many others said it may also attract new people to the doll hobby. And if it's something I'm into I buy that stuff too.

 

Would you go to it?
Every week if I could!

What would you expect to find there?
Hopefully all things BJD! Clothes, dolls, and with any luck, doll furniture.

What would you want it to have?
All of the above, especially doll furniture.

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
If they mingle well, I guess? I'd really hope for an exclusively BJD store, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
When I was studying abroad, I got a chance to go to one in Shanghai. The experience was a little dampered due to the fact that I don't really speak chinese and the lady was... Not very nice. I couldn't try the clothes before I bought them and most of the stuff I got wasn't the right size. ): Not sure if that's a standard with doll stores or not.

 

Would you go to it?
Yes, sure . Every time I can do.

What would you expect to find there?
I will search new outfits, shoes, accessories,wigs, dolls and another tools. ( ex. elastic, face mask, silicone head cover etc.) If there have bjd dolls sale ,discount or promotion, It's best.

What would you want it to have?
I think, I want discount price. **laugh*

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
Yes. Another bjd dolls. I interested in figure, droid ..etc.

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
Yes, Today.
I think, If it not have many outfit that I want and very expensive. But it's ok.

 

Would you go to it?

Absolutely! I've toyed around with the idea of starting one myself, but my current town wouldn't support it, I think.

What would you expect to find there?

I would expect to find clothes, wigs, eyes, shoes, and maybea few in-stock dolls at a time. The more the better, of course.

What would you want it to have?

I would love to be able to see some dolls in person before buying, and I would love even more to be able to just drive to a store and go clothes-shopping for my dolls!


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

[FONT=&quot]Iwould be fine with a BJD store having other hobbies, so long as there’s somecrossover. (there’s a thread about non-BJD hobbies that might be useful forfinding that out). [/FONT]

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

[FONT=&quot]Ihave not been to a physical BJD store, but I have been to a couple analogues. Iwas at Dollism, which of course had a dealer’s room. The main problem with thatwas the amount of stands taking orders but not selling anything in person (Ican use the internet for that and have more proof of payment that way) and nothaving enough stock. Other than that, there’s a store an hour away from mecalled Rivet that sells art, statues, some Japanese blind boxes, as well asBlythe and Pulip dolls. They don’t have much, and they only have these twokinds of dolls. It’s not a bjd store, but it shows that doll-collecting andother hobbies can be combined (in this case, dolls and high art). [/FONT]

 

I've been to a few BJD-selling shops in Japan~ I've never actually bought a doll from one though, just clothes/shoes/etc. It's pretty cool.
I live in Korea but I haven't seen BJD shops here.

 

Would you go to it?
Of course I would


What would you expect to find there?
Lots and lots of dolly goodies just looking would be a pleasure

What would you want it to have?
Clothes~

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??
I have not been

 

Oh yes please

 

Would you go to it? Definitely. Even just to have a look.

What would you expect to find there? Hopefully lots of different dolls, clothes and accessories etc.

What would you want it to have? All of those things.

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too? Possible other dolls, like porcelain or fashion dolls.

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it?? I haven't, but wish I had.

 

Yes! I actually put the bug in my bro's ear to take me up to Mint on Card next month. I can't wait - I'm excited! My wallet will cry, but it'll be worth it.

 

Uhmm you have heard they are not open to the public on a daily basis anymore right?... and they had a huge holiday coming up too... (I follow on Facebook)... I don't recall the details but I am fairly sure they are by appointment now? (or soon will be?)you should check to be sure...


as for the original question(s)
In my perfect world I would own/run one ><... we used to have lots of doll stores here decades ago... not it's like a barren wasteland in this part of the country!

Part of my operations would be to have staff that was fluent in languages needed for online shopping! I wold have it so ppl could come in for 'assisted shopping'. I would want to be the first Iplehouse 'dealer' lol.
I would also see if it was possible to find resources for 'custom' work especially for large doll furniture as well as try to carry some.

 

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

Would you go to it?
Sure. Why not? It's fun to shop for dolly items, and sometimes it's helpful to see things in-person. Also-- some stores will allow you to try things on, which is FANTASTIC!

What would you expect to find there?
Anything... dolls, accessories, clothes, wigs, eyes, shoes... whatever.

What would you want it to have?
Anything... same as above, I guess!

Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
Sure. Why not?
It's sometimes not easy to exist on only one hobby-group...

If you have been to a physical bjd store, how was it??
I've been to the Volks USA Torrance store many times before it closed. If I needed some faceup supplies, or acrylic eyes in a rush, I'd go there. They had the FCS and dolls for sale. They had clothes and shoes and wigs and furniture. It was a small shop in an industrial complex, but decorated nicely. Downstairs was Dollfie items and the Super Dollfie things were upstairs. It was only open on weekends. I thought it was great! A big, dangerous money-pit, though!

I've been to the old Artmaze Elfdoll, then Dollheart store in Glendale, CA before it closed. It was also a small shop with display cabinets full of dolls and clothes and shoes and wigs and eyes. It carried a number of different brands... at first it had a deal with Elfdoll, so only had those dolls. Later it switched to Dollheart, so had lots of Dollheart clothes and JollyPlus dolls. Lots of Monique wigs. It was also a very dangerous and expensive store to walk into! Ms Cholong ran it and would also regularly host Meetups/Parties. It was a LOT of fun!

Both stores, in the So. California area, where there are a LOT of people and a lot of BJD owners, eventually closed. It's not easy to keep a brick-n-mortar store open these days selling almost anything, much less expensive and specific items like those for bjds! Volks switched to just online, and Ms Cholong went online for years before eventually having to shut even that down.

There are very few bjd stores in the entire world because the logistics just aren't great for such a business model. Most companies are very small, boutique businesses that only exist on-line and do not keep a big inventory... which is why you see more "sold out" dolls and items listed than in-stock dolls and items. It costs money to keep inventory on-hand (producing it, shipping it, storing it, handling it). Buyers are always looking for very specific things that they search all over the internet for... One shop having enough items to sell enough for the people who could actually make it to the store to buy it is pretty much impossible.

Stores are great for those who can get to them, but pretty much not anything that would make enough profit to stay open. You'd have to have a huge amount of customers willing to drive and buy a lot of stuff very often. Even in the busiest area, that's not going to happen.

(Yes, Volks has physical stores, but they are also supported by online business and by events they organize and events they attend to increase their sales. Same with the very tiny Dollheart store in Hong Kong--most of the business is online... or enough to be able to keep the store open. Mint-on-card also is supported by on-line sales, same with Denver Doll Emporium. These are all beating the odds in staying open, however, and there have been many others stores that have come and gone.)

 

[h=2]Would you go to a physical BJD store?[/h]

Yes, that's more fan and exciting because I can see all stuffs that I might interest.

Would you go to it?

Devinitely!!

What would you expect to find there?

Even the unexpected. hehe

What would you want it to have?

As many as I like

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

Yes that's more awesome!!

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

I love it always...​

 

I always wanted to go to once since I got into the hobby. When I was invited to the MoC meet last spring I was ecstatic and took that friday off so I could plan what all I wanted to look at. XD

 

YES YES YES I would totally go!
No expectations, just wanna surprise myself!
I would want it to have EVERYTHING hehehe just kidding...
I would be fine having other hobbies in there.
I really want to go to a physical bjd store

 

Would you go to it?

Yes, most certainly!

What would you expect to find there?

I would expect to find a large variety of dolls, accessories and the neccessities all in one place, including little kits for stuff like cleaning and stringing... Maybe even a few homemade booklets on how-to do the basics or tips and tricks.

What would you want it to have? Most, if not everything I just listed.

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

Yes, in fact I'd love it if they had that too!

 

Would you go to it?
In a hot second! Oh, I would be so broke...

What would you expect to find there?
Mostly accessories and clothing items (shoes, wigs, eyes, clothes,) and the materials to work with the dolls (paints, sealants, brushes, carrying cases) Actual dolls would be nice, but I think the focus would be more on the accessory items.

What would you want it to have?
The accessories. I really want to be able to try eyes/wigs and outfits before I buy them. Even just having it to physically hold up to the doll so I don't have to guess if the color is true or the size is accurate every time I'm shopping. I envision something akin to a fabric or other hobby shop, where you can ask the staff and they know about the product and hobby and where you can bring your doll to size compare. Maybe even a workspace in back for classes on how to restring, general maintenance, face ups, pattern drafting, etc.


Would you be fine with it having other hobbies in there too?
Definitely. The doll hobby is a very small niche market and it would be hard to run a store on nothing but it in most places. Not to mention the doll hobby often crosses paths with other hobbies so it seems like a pretty logical business move to just extend the business out to those as well to increase revenue. Heck, I would be happy if a different hobby shop just stocked a few BJD things.

 

I'm moving to Japan soon and physical bjd stores are one of the biggest things I'm excited about!

 

We have one small physical shop in Moscow. It is very useful for ones who don't like waiting, useful to get right size of wig or shoes. But...Dolls represent as new and cost like new, but actually they are second-hand: they lie on shall for years, everybody touch them, most of them are yellow, some with broken ball-joints.

 

I think getting me *out* of the physical BJD store would be the problem

Seriously though I'd definitely go in. I sort of lost any hang-ups about being a geeky little fangirl out in public the first time I attended comic con, so there'd be nothing holding me back! Unfortunately I wouldn't expect a physical BJD store to stock the smaller companies; they'd probably be stuffed with all the expensive Volks dolls, though. I'd love if they carried accessories, outfits, wigs so you could see what you're buying before taking it home. That's the bad thing about a hobby conducted mostly online - sometimes that wig is a bit smaller than you needed, something those white shoes you bought are actually ivory and so don't go with the doll's white dress...

It'd also be amazing if you could chat to fellow shoppers and if the clerks working there were knowledgeable.

 

I'm planning a trip to Think Pink this summer - I've never been to their physical store. From the website I have some idea what I'm likely to find, but I'm still curious.