Dolls House Parade

"Dolls' House Parade was founded by a dolls' house enthusiast and is also staffed by enthusiasts. Our aim is to provide a professional and friendly service to help you enjoy your hobby".

Dolls House Parade is 18 years old

Dolls' House Parade currently has its main shop in the south of England as follows:

Dolls House Parade, Chislehurst, Kent - Click Here

A history of Dolls House Parade

Dolls House Parade was formed in 1992 as a result of Lyn's desire to turn her hobby into a business. Like many people throughout the world, and indeed throughout the ages, Lyn had grown to love the dolls house hobby.

Her husband John had bought her a dolls house in 1986 and over the next few years she embarked on decorating and furnishing it. Along the way she learnt more about the hobby - by meeting other enthusiasts, reading books and magazines and making the beginners mistakes that everybody makes. However, mistakes can be minimised if there is a handy source of information, such as a friendly shop, with knowledgeable staff, to help guide you.

A derelict building was chosen on a beautiful Victorian parade of shops in Chislehurst, Kent. Indeed, Royal Parade is so called because Queen Victoria used to shop there when staying locally. John & Lyn saw the potential and stripped the building and carefully created the beautiful surroundings that still forms their base today. They managed to include in the re-building some of the beautiful wood panelling dating back to the previous owners; Easdens of Chislehurst; a well known family firm of cabinet makers.

As the business grew the first mail order catalogue was launched in October 1993. This was created with great attention to detail and quality, which has always been the hallmark of Dolls House Parade. Whilst the size of the catalogue has grown, in subsequent editions, the high quality has remained.

In 1997 the opportunity came to purchase an existing dolls house shop in Dorking, Surrey, which had been started in 1985 and lovingly developed by Mary Churchill and her staff. Whilst retaining some of the best features of the shop Lyn added her own brand of enthusiasm and professionalism. A further shop (now three in all) was added in late 2000, in West Byfleet, Surrey. Whilst the shops share the same quality and friendliness, at the same time they also exude totally different characters. By offering ranges of stock, which are slightly different in each shop, enthusiasts can enjoy visiting them all, and many do so. Directions and maps for the shops can be found on the web site.

Following a "toe-in-the water" exercise over a couple of years, December 2001 saw Dolls House Parade embark on a large-scale Internet project. By creating a fully stocked, on-line shopping site on the web, the company can now reach enthusiasts across the world. Not only will this give them the opportunity to share in the pleasures of the hobby Lyn herself enjoys, but it also allows them to benefit from the excellent reputation that Dolls House Parade has earned in the last 11 years.

Unfortunately, due to the expiry of the lease the Byfleet shop was forced to close in May 2003.

Now that Lyn's energies were being channelled into 2 shops again a major revamp of the Dorking shop took place in the summer of 2003. The addition of a new "house showroom" added 50% to the overall selling space - meaning that many more lines could now be carried.

The Dorking shop thrived for the next few years, but then like many town centres Dorking went into a gradual decline, with far fewer shoppers in evidence. As this decline continued, it was reluctantly decided to let the lease lapse on the Dorking shop in the summer of 2008. After many happy years with our customers in Surrey it was a sad day to leave. However, with all the energies once more focussed on the original shop in Chislehurst you can safely assume that this will continue to keep its place as one of the very best dolls house shops in the country.

These are the latest stepping-stones from that Christmas present Lyn received in 1986 - and who knows where those steps are leading?

Friendly Staff

Professional Service

Dolls House Parade

4a, Royal Parade, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 6NR UK
Telephone: 020 8295 0688 Fax: 020 8295 1061
International - Tel: +44 20 8295 0688 Fax: +44 20 8295 1061
Email: enquiries@dhpf.co.uk