Museum treat for doll enthusiasts

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This article was published 09/08/2021 (1545 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For the Barbie doll or porcelain doll collector, the Doll Museum just northeast of Brandon on the Trans-Canada Highway is a sensory overload.

Upon entering the building, your eyes wander over hundreds of porcelain dolls that Diane Willey, the owner of the Doll Museum and a Grand Master Doll Maker, has restored, refurbished and built over the years.

Her work makes doll collectors swoon.

For lack of a better word, Willey is a fine art craftsperson. She refurbishes and repairs dolls today from around the world. Since introducing the Shady Lane Tea Room 11 years ago, Willey’s doll-making days have been curtailed as she and husband Doug run a busy little restaurant, catering service and wedding venue on their four-acre property.

The collection is one of the largest in Canada, according to Doug. The small museum, which used to be a restaurant in Brandon, was moved to their location in 1996. There are hundreds of dolls housed inside.

Restoration projects typically take months to complete.

A wall of original dolls lines one wall. Doug explained the antique dolls must have everything original in order to be classified as antique.

“You can only use materials they used in the day. The hair has to be human or mohair.”

The eyes are blown German glass and resemble real eyes. The material is the finest of silks. Lace is cotton and not synthetic. The shoes have to be leather.

“We make everything,” Doug said. “We buy the hair in bulk and make the wigs. My wife is also a licensed hairdresser,” he said with a tinge of pride in his voice.

Doug rounds a heavily doll-ladened corner and comes up to a glass showcase. Inside is Willey’s award-winning doll collection. She has made everything from the doll bodies, including the legs, feet, hands, face, and body and clothing. The faces are hand-painted and the leather shoes are handmade.

An auburn-haired, porcelain doll dressed in late 1800s period clothing — an emerald green silk and taffeta dress, bonnet and purse with all the appropriate underclothing — sits elegantly behind the glass.

“You have to make everything. And this is heirloom,” Doug explained. “ This isn’t everyday sewing.”

That doll won first place in its category, first place for Best of Show and won the President’s Choice award.

There’s an impressive Barbie collection, doll house, Cabbage Patch babies, Winnie the Pooh collection, and dolls more than 100 years old.

Willey doesn’t send her dolls away for judging anymore. She’s too busy these days with the Tea Room, catering or their wedding venue.

The couple’s kids aren’t going to keep the family business operating as they have their own businesses to look after. But Doug has a few years left in him, he expects, as he does the grocery runs into town for supplies for the Tea Room and catering business.

In the meantime, the Doll Museum and Tea Room have just reopened to the public, post-pandemic. The Willeys are still coming up with a plan as to how they’ll navigate their booming business with just weeks left in the season and new public health orders, as the Doll Museum shuts down in October. They are open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment, Tuesday to Thursday.

For more information, see their Facebook page at facebook.com/shadylanetea.

» kkielley@brandonsun.com