Physical BJD/Doll stores

I've been wondering what if would be like at a physical BJD store and I usually go to vintage toy stores instead to get my doll stuff. So there are a few BJD shops in the country I'm currently studying at and there are also a few physical shops in my city. There are three, with two being dealer shops and the other one being a company shop [Spirit doll]. I didn't visit Spirit doll since it was too far for me and I wanted a greater selection, so I went to the two dealer shops instead.

First one up is Tianjiu Castle, which is a dealer shop that's located a bit more farther of the two and of course, some pictures. The shop has a light and airy feeling and the props and things that they sell also follow on that. They don't carry a lot of vinyl and less stuff in general, but I do remember the shop carries seamless bodies and some dolls are using those bodies in the displays. You can buy the dolls of display, but [thankfully] no one caught my eye. I previously bought an order through Taobao with this dealer and no issues, so imagine my surprise when they had a physical shop. I think you can also ask the Taobao shop to ship to this shop to pick it up in person too. There was also a basket of random DD parts on the ground so uh, there's that. Staff members were pretty helpful when I asked them for a question on whether my doll needed heeled feet for a shoe and if she can fit in it.

Second shop is SWDoll. They carry a bit more variety but I only really look at the eyes they carry since they can get weird.

They have a lot of Imomodolls on display and they also carry the dolls used for product pics. Last time I visited, they had Sola and Luna on display even before they were officially announced, so this store is pretty good for tracking Imomodoll updates. No 68 cm males in the store and I don't see anything for a 1/4 Imomodoll boy yet, so looks like we have to wait a bit longer. You can also buy anything on display. There is only one staff member here despite the size of the shop, and she seemed pretty busy so I didn't get to chat with her like I did with the previous shop.

So that's the two stores that I traveled to, and are there any BJD or doll stores in your area that you take your BJDs to? While I do admit these BJD stores are nice, I do miss being able to head to vintage/antique doll shops since that's where I like finding things at, even if they don't fit exactly.

Edited September 20, 2023 by Amapola

Cool photos - thanks for posting.

There's a doll shop in the town my sister works. I've never been there and it only opens sporadically.  My sister has got me some cool stuff from there, although it's all Pureneemo sized. I don't know if they cater to giants like Towa and family.

Oooh! I'm jealous. The only brick-and-mortar BJD stores I know of in the US are Denver Doll and Doll Peddlar, the latter of which has been very shady in its online business in the past few years. Mint on Card sadly closed a while ago. Everyone else is online-only.

 

Generally I collect all of my doll props from charity / thrift shops and antique shops as well.  Once in a great while I'll buy something new- usually a clearanced piece of to-scale furniture from a craft shop.  However, it is important to note that none of these stores are within walking / close driving distance. To get to any of these craft stores, I have to drive 1 1/2 to 3 hours in any direction, and if I wanted to see a BJD store in person, I'd have to fly. 😅 It has been a many-years dream to visit some, and to have a regular convention / meetup to drive to again. The two large meetups I did attend back in highschool were endless fun. I wouldn't eat all day; I'd be pumped on adrenaline.

 

The advantage I see, if you are not interested in the dolls themselves, is that the clothes will be much cheaper than buying online, especially if you lived outside the country previously. Even if you just picked up one or two small things once in a while, they could be an advantage while you're here.

The Doll Outlet in Ronks, Pennsylvania, just outside of Lancaster, is pretty good. They mostly cater to American Girl style dolls and reborns, but you can find all sorts of accessories that work well for 1/3 scale BJDs. I usually bring one with me and size things out while everyone is amazed by my mature lady dolls. If you have a store like that around you, you might be surprised by how worthwhile a trip it might be.

On 9/20/2023 at 3:18 PM, Amapola said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aaaaaaaaaaaah

That mermaid girl and the one with the red long skirt are very cute. It’s an instant want factor.

Very frustrating that there isn’t a local shop who sells BJD’s near we’re I live. 

 

On the other side that might be a good thing, otherwise I would have another problem: ‘kuch’ wallet ‘kuch’.

I never would've thought to look for local stores here, but a quick google found there are lots of doll shops around me!  I'm gonna try and get to them in the next few weeks and see if there's any third or quarter scale things and report back if I find anything!