………………………Jac had an extensive doll collection which I have inherited. I used to accompany her to doll shows, and it was fun to watch her get excited when she would find a doll she thought was special! After a while I started to know more and more about the different companies, the years they were produced, and their VALUE!!! We also have very very old German porcelain dolls that were her mothers. Jac started collecting dolls and cutouts from when she was a little girl, and then later as she was older started collecting Gene dolls which were more high fashion dolls…..I guess the doll collecting sort of started her in her modeling career…….It all connects…..There are well over 200 dolls!….They are everywhere!!!….Now for my dilemma……Some of the dolls need repair…..mostly re-stringing as they are very old and the strings have deteriorated over time. One very old doll [picture at the center bottom] needs more work done. All in all it’s about seven dolls that need work…..I have tried in vain to find a company or “Doll Hospital” that I can trust to send these dolls to. I have googled thinking for sure that I would find the right company, but I’ve struck out……….so I’m reaching out to all of you for help……Perhaps one of you knows of a reputable company I can contact to have this work done. I know Jac would appreciate it too…..It’s sad to walk into the room and see the dolls heads sitting on the shelf next to a headless doll!…….Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
I have heard many wonderful things about this doll hospital. It’s been featured on numerous TV stations in the Boston area. It’s located in Hopkinton, MA. Jennybabysdollhospital.com. Hope this helps.
Go to your fellow QVC celebrity and former doll maker herself, Marie Osmond. She must know everyone connected to doll making and repair. Am sure she would be the best!!!
Ooops, I misspelled her website…..should have been ashleysdolls.com
Louis,
I am an avid watcher of Antiques Roadshow on PBS, I have enjoyed listening to the history of dolls brought in for evaluation. I have been impressed by one of the doll specialists who is often featured on the program, a woman by the name of Billye Harris, who travels the world in search of antique dolls. The shop she is affiliated with is called Ashley’s Dolls. Try her website ashleysdoll.com, where she has a list of ways to contact her via email, facebook, etc. I feel certain that she would provide contact information for reputable doll hospitals, or perhaps has her own. Thank you for this opportunity to assist you in some small way, since you have been such an important person in my life, “dressing” me and teaching me over many, many years.