HAVING A DOLL OF A TIME: When it comes to dolls, Reynolds has it all
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“I’ve always loved the history of dolls,” said Reba, who has been married to husband Robert for 54 years. “Just about everything that’s happened in history, they’ve made a doll from it.”
As owner of Dolls-N-Toyland, Reba has a bit of doll history herself. She began her business in downtown McMinnville 22 years ago when she decided to convert a personal hobby into a way of making a little extra money.
Reba says she has always had an attraction to dolls, dating back to her toddler years. She said back then, growing up in a house with five brothers and one sister, it was best not to get too attached to her dolls.
“I’d always have to keep an eye on them,” said Reba. “Because with five brothers, they would break them just for meanness.”
Her brothers didn’t break all of them, however. Reba is proud to report she still has a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs doll set which was given to her in the first grade.
Reba’s daughter, Darlene Martin, ran the doll shop for 11 of the 15 years it was located downtown. Asked what memory has stuck with her the most since her doll selling years, Darlene didn’t hesitate.
“It would have to be back when crying dolls were the big thing,” said Darlene. “We had crying dolls all over the store.”
Seven years ago, Reba decided she would like to slow down a bit so she moved her business to a building located behind her home on Sunny Side Heights. That’s where it has been ever since.
The move didn’t have much of an impact on Reba’s lifestyle and she certainly didn’t slow down. Her so-called retirement was more of a change of scenery than anything else, although she seems completely happy with that fact.
“I couldn’t lay around in the bed, eat all day and get fat,” said Reba, who said more than anything the move was convenient to her because she has never driven a car. “My husband always said I couldn’t figure out how to use the brake and the gas pedal so I never really drove.”
It helps that her husband also takes an interest in dolls. Robert and Reba travel around a five-state area to participate in doll shows and Robert does some of the woodworking for the doll cabinets.
When asked how he has survived over two decades among mountains of dolls, Robert said, “I like the punishment, I reckon.”
But Robert has more than a passing fancy for dolls himself. He used to own a valuable antique doll collection before he was forced to sell it in order to pay medical bills.
“Antique dolls really hold their value and they pay off down the road,” said Robert, who used to operate Reynolds Office Supply on Morford Street.
Reba says she has toyed with the idea of writing a book on dolls and has even come up with a name, “What Are Little Dolls Made Of?” She said over the years, dolls have been made from just about every sort of material imaginable. Just the heads, for example, have been made from stones, walnuts, eggs, chick peas, wood and bone, to name a few.
In her store, Reba has a wide variety of Madame Alexander dolls, which she says is currently one of the most sought after collector dolls. According to Reba, Madame Alexander is quite a success story. She started in the 1920s making dolls in her kitchen out of cloth and she painted all the faces herself. The company eventually grew to become one of the nation’s top doll producers.
In addition to the Madame Alexander line, which is more for adults, Reba has dolls like GI Joe, Barbie and Raggedy Ann for the kids.
“A lot of people just collect one thing so they’re only interested in that type of doll,” said Reba. “But I’ve got just about everything.”