June 6, 2001
All dolled up
Collectors and dealers attend Northern Doll Show and Sale
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Collecting dolls for 22 years, Cher Cronican-Walker debuted Sunday as a dealer at the Northern Doll Show and Sale - with a table full of dolls for sale. Plus she had many more dolls not for sale, some displayed, some tucked neatly in boxes under her table.
The Interlochen resident brought a large portion of her extensive doll collection Sunday to the Park Place Dome. Her collection includes many ethnic dolls, especially Asian and Korean ones she collected for her two adopted Korean daughters.
Cronican-Walker began collecting dolls looking to replace a cherished childhood doll that had been broken when she was young. While attending her first doll show on the sales side of the table, she is a veteran in finding just the right addition to her collection. As a dealer she loves seeing that 'Ah-ha!' happen to others, though she admits it is hard to part with her 'babies.'
"I enjoy dolls and I enjoy seeing the kids' faces light up when they see a doll they like," said Cronican-Walker, who has named her company, Amalea's Dolls, after one of her daughters. "But I sell less to kids and some adults collect for an investment but most are for emotional reasons, when they get that click about a certain doll."
A social worker who has had a private counseling practice, she sees how dolls are very emotionally charged, especially for women.
"Women buy dolls either because they had good childhood memories and want to reclaim them or they had bad childhood memories and are trying to heal a hurt," she said.
Cronican-Walker was one of two dozen dealers at the show, who came from all over the state. Selling everything from heads to shoes, hats to hair and fabric to lace, the show drew a variety of collectors, ready to snap-up a handmade dress or a Raggedy-Anne doll or a Hawaiian Barbie. Other browsers were looking for shoes of a certain size or style, a specific item to fill in a collection or just beginning their doll collection. An appraisal table was doing a brisk business as people brought in family dolls hoping for an heirloom or two.
Roger and Jean Pataky brought their four-year-old granddaughter, Alyssa to the show to look around. Both have a few special doll-related items from their childhood that they have been saving for their grandchildren and they wanted to show Alyssa all the different types of dolls available.
"I have a Barbie from 1962 and my husband has some GI Joe stuff," said Jean Pataky.
Betty Brock-Hay of Mesick organized the Northern Doll Show and Sale. The owner of Milady's Essentials, Brock-Hay specializes in hats, dolls and clothes and has an extensive collection herself. She began hosting doll shows two times a year in Traverse City three years ago and this is the fifth show she has sponsored.
"Doll collecting has been going on for a very, very long time," said Brock-Hay. "There used to be shows and a doll club up here a very long time ago but there wasn't anything decent nearer than Petoskey for years."
Dealer Sally Hoskins of Traverse City sees doll collecting as an enduring hobby. With dolls available dating back to the 1800s and earlier, it is not a new idea. Now old teddy bears are catching on in popularity, though dolls remain one of the top toy collectibles.
"A lot of people look for childhood replacements," said Hoskins. "Others buy whatever catches their eye."
Brock-Hay finds it ironic that her specialty is doll hats, something she never believed she would get into after growing up helping her grandmother in her Grand Rapids millinery shop.
"I would help her and watch her do things and I never thought I would be making doll hats," said Brock-Hay, who makes every one of her creations from scratch, just as her grandmother did.