Have you heard of Tiny Frock shop? It’s probably one of the coolest online doll stores on the web! This Spotlight post is a Q and A with Pamela Thompson, the force behind the cool doll clothing and accessory shop! Read below to learn a little more about who they are, what they offer and the passion behind this online business!
Question: Tell us a bit about your background and how it had a hand in opening up Tiny Frock shop.
Answer: Before starting Tiny Frock shop, I was a fashion designer in NYC for 20+ years, working as head designer for Betsey Johnson, Heatherette and designer at Anna Sui. After I had my daughter, I decided to leave NY and thus left my full-time fashion career with it. I have always had my career as a creative outlet and found I needed to reinvent myself in order to have a new outlet for my creativity.
I have been a huge fan of Barbie since I was a kid and when my Mom brought me my old 1970’s Barbie case and clothes she saved from my childhood, I fell in love all over again. I realized that no one had created a Vogue worthy online department store for Barbie’s world and with so many amazing designs made for her from Mattel, clone companies and handmade, the options to style her and offer a new way of looking at Barbie is infinite. I decided to take my real world fashion experience and create an online shop for Barbie that encompasses not just all product areas related to her world, but also make the shop a microcosm showing how the real fashion world works. I use behind the scenes photos, interviews with the doll models and commentary from the doll staff to show a tongue in cheek version of the real fashion world.
Question: Tiny Frock shop is a unique sort of online store in that it’s a resale shop that also sells its own unique clothing pieces and accessories. Can you tell us a little about your concept and how it differs from other online clothing shops?
Answer: Most of the standalone online Barbie shops out there are small and focused in one area such as OOAK clothing or furniture. Since I incorporate resale, I am able to offer a wider range of products and product categories, that makes Tiny Frock shop a one stop shop for all things Barbie and Ken! Offering resale allows me to “rehab” some of the amazing clothes that come my way and give them new life, as well as offering a less expensive range of clothing. The artisan collection I produce called TINY FROCK, is more expensive, very fashion forward, one of a kind and uses high-end fabrics and trims, therefore making it a bit more costly. Having tiered pricing in the shop allows collectors and Mom’s/kids the ability to shop all in one place.
I am a big advocate of recycling and love that I am able to revive old clothing, accessories and dolls and give them a new chance at being loved.
Question: What kind of dolls does Tiny Frock Shop sell clothing for? (Size? Type?) What era’s of clothing can be found in Tiny Frock Shop?
Answer: Generally, our clothes fit on all Barbie types from vintage to new, as well as Integrity dolls and any other 12” doll. There are notes put in each item description if it runs small or large. I have also just opened a department for the new “curvy” and “petite” Barbie’s just released by Mattel and plan to also offer a “tall” section soon. Since there is not a lot of clothing out there for the new Barbie types, I wanted to help add a little variety to those new dolls offerings by making it easy for people to find clothes to fit the new body shapes.
The clothing the shop features goes all the way back to the first 1959 doll to current. I also have a lot of handmade and vintage clone clothing from Hong Kong.
Question: Tell us a bit about TINY FROCK, a line you created for Tiny Frock shop.
Answer: The line is called TINY FROCK and Monotone was the inspiration for the first collection in conjunction with the January Monotone issue of Fashion Doll Quarterly, where the line is featured. I was playing on the starkness of black and white contrasts and the mixture of different print, texture and finishes. The line is made of European fabrics and each has its own TINY FROCK woven label and hangtag.
Our newest collections called Retro Candy, will launch with a spread in the Spring issue of Fashion Doll Quarterly and feature a surprise collaboration!
Question: I love that your shop is so much more than just pre-made outfits. Can you tell us a bit about your team and the unique pieces they make for the shop? I’m a huge fan of Tiffany’s wall art. I noticed you also have some miniature wall art from Sharon Wright on your site, as well.
Answer: I LOVE collaboration and am always looking for new designers to work with and feature. It is something I learned is necessary for creativity to really blossom and it is extremely invigorating. I was inspired by the Target Go International shopping model started in 2005, where they take amazing designers like Anna Sui, Jean Paul Gaultier, McQ, Alexander McQueen, etc and have them design a diffusion line. I wanted to create a platform for known and unknown doll artists in all categories (furniture, clothing, art) to have their work seen and also able to be purchased within the Tiny Frock shop store.
I call our version of this the Tiny Frock Shop Designer Collective. It has included amazing designers like Andy Sorensen for Haute Poppet, Cat Hammond and currently is featuring Littlest Sweet Shop, Haute Doll Editor in Chief Sharon Marie Wright’s photography and Chicago artist Tiffany Gholar. This Spring I will be featuring Maryann Roy’s Acryluxe furniture, Mari Krasney’s art on canvas and more are in the works.
Question: Props are necessary for any dolly photo shoot, what kind of props do you sell in Tiny Frock shop? I noticed some awesome Re-Ment that I may need to sweep up! And the musical instruments are pretty neat, too!
Answer: I have been getting deeply into props or what I like to call “home décor”. Many of the items I sell are vintage so there can sometimes only be one of each. I try to curate the products for you and offer lots of options in the shop so you can pick and choose what you want to decorate your space. In most cases what you buy will be something only you have and make your space that much more unique!
I have just jumped headfirst into the Re-Ment game and am super excited about it. I am in love with the tiny details of Re-Ment, but I get frustrated by buying blind boxes. There is some fun in it, but when I really have my eye on one particular set and don’t get it, I get so weepy. So in the shop I am buying full Re-Ment sets and have launched an unboxing channel on YouTube where Lily, my 7 yr old CEO daughter and I, along with my 70-year-old Mom unbox each blind box and show how they look and work together. We like to call it “multigenerational unboxing”😉. That way you can see exactly what you are getting in detail and then you can go on our site and buy what you see! The Thompson girls are all kids at heart no matter our age.
I get in a lot of other really cool items daily and try to do unboxing videos of all that are worthy. It’s like Christmas every day at the Tiny Frock shop!
Question: Do you sell dolls, as well? Are those found through second-hand means or are you a direct dealer for doll lines like Kurhn?
Answer: I do sell dolls in a variety of categories and price points. I have a section for what I call “pre-loved” Barbie’s, which are used Barbie’s that get a spa treatment (hair wash, style and new clothing) and then are put up for sale in order to give them an opportunity for a new life. I also sell new in box Barbie’s (vintage and new), as well as Integrity Dolls. I am a direct dealer for Kurhn (the Barbie of China) and also sell Licca Chan from Japan.
Question: Do you collect dolls? If so, what kinds?
Answer: Yes. ALL kinds! Since my staff is made up mainly of dolls/action figures, I have many in my collection, all with different jobs. They have their own bio in my “the team” section of the site where you can read about their jobs. Probably the most famous employee is Ms. Bunny, our resident stylist, who is a mid century Japanese poseable bunny doll. I also have a love for 60’s big eye dolls and any type of kitty figurine!
As for Barbie’s I collect, generally most of them become models with the exception of a few elite girls that have not and will not probably make it out of their boxes. The most prized?? My Karl Lagerfeld Barbie which I feel so fortunate to have gotten.
Question: What has been the most fun aspect of running Tiny Frock shop so far?
Answer: The best thing about running the Tiny Frock shop is being able to marry all aspects of running a real fashion world brand in 1:6 scale. I am able to take all of my experience, apply it to this tiny world and share it with everyone. It also grants me the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the business like photography, e-commerce, design, buying and more. When I was in the regular fashion industry, I worked at small companies and wore many hats. This business allows me to wear even more.
I also love being able to include my daughter, Lily and Mom, Jean in the process. Lily and my Mom both help styling the home décor sets and with unboxing.
Question: If someone has extra dolly clothing lying around, do you accept donations? If so, what are the requirements?
Answer: Absolutely! I pride myself on taking clothing of almost all condition levels and doing my best to bring them back to life. There is no requirement. We accept all eras and conditions of clothing as donations. There is a link in the homepage footer with information on donating.
Question: Where can people find your site?
Answer: You can find us:
Website: http://www.tinyfrockshop.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tinyfrockshop
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/tinyfrockshop
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/tinyfrockshop
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/tinyfrockshop
YouTube Channel: http://tinyurl.com/tinyfrockshop
Tumblr: http://tinyfrockshop.tumblr.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tinyfrockshop
TINY FROCK: http://tinyfrock.tumblr.com/
I’d like to thank Pamela for answering my questions! It was great learning a little more about Tiny Frock shop. Clearly, this is a dolly shop that you need to visit. I love that the whole family is included in the Tiny Frock shop. It reminds me of how Barbee0913 and I celebrate doll collecting together. I’m very temped to pick up some of the Re-Ment set and love the idea of being able to style my dolls without going broke! Next time I’m outfitting a Make It Own Pullip, this will be my first stop.
Have you ordered from Tiny Frock shop? What do you think of this neat online store? What’s on your Tiny Frock shop wish list? Share your thoughts in the comment area! (And if you know of a store, person or site I should spotlight next, let me know that, too!)
April 1, 2016. Tags: spotlight. Spotlight Posts, Uncategorized.
