Tiny Heirlooms, a dollhouse and miniatures store in McLean, closed last week due to life-sized rent and expenses. The store’s owner Tammy Katz will be operating exclusively on the Internet in the future.
“The overhead and the rent in McLean is pretty high,” said Katz.
She operated in McLean for three years successfully. European customers were known to make special trips into Tiny Heirlooms when vacationing in the United States.
Tiny Heirlooms does a brisk on-line business with customers from all over the world. Local residents have had the opportunity to browse her shelves at leisure and to get advice and tips from Katz, a lifelong miniatures aficionado.
“In the future we will probably go to the Web site, but it’s so nice to be able to come in here and find things. We find things we didn’t even know we needed,” said D.J Cleary, who was shopping with her daughters.
Katz offered her inventory to clients at 20 to 30 percent off before closing the store. “It’s been busier than Christmas in here,” said Katz of the response.
Nearly all of the dollhouses had been bought, and furnishings were scarce in the days before Tiny Heirlooms closed. “We are finding things we like but wish there was more here,” said Cleary. “I had to come in for the sale after I read about it in the paper. There’s something about being able to touch and see the designs that takes you back. It’s never the same in a catalog or on-line,” said Susan Hubbert.
Hubbert will now have to get her fix of tiny furnishings at trade shows. Katz said she expects to see many of her old customers that way. “I’ll see them at doll shows,” said Katz who intends to keep in touch with clients about events through e-mail and notices.
The Web site, www.tinyheirlooms.com, will offer a wide array of finished dollhouses and accessories. “Next month I’m thinking of doing a free shipping offer for my local customers,” said Katz.
“I don’t think of it as closing; it’s more like shifting to on-line,” said Katz. While she is grateful to have had the store and the chance to meet her customers face to face, Katz, who is under 30, is happy to slow down.
“I’m going to have my first vacation in three years. I’ve been working seven days a week here,” said Katz.