Posts from August, 2009

The sun is shining now but come September the dark nights will draw in with nothing to do except sit in front of the television.  Instead of wasting those long winter months, why not take up a hobby that the whole family can enjoy?

Building dolls’ houses and collecting miniatures has been a hobby for the young and young-at-heart for hundreds of years – the oldest known intact dolls’ house dates back to 1639 – and it remains as popular today as it was then.  It is one of the few hobbies that truly bridges the generation gap, and starting a house from scratch can be an inspirational project for the entire family, from mum and dad, son and daughter, to grandma and granddad.

For children, building, decorating and playing with a dolls’ house can help develop dexterity and encourage creativity, as they bring their imaginations to life.  For adults, a dolls’ house offers a hobby that can last a lifetime, together with being a talking point for friends and something to share with children or grandchildren.

The Dolls House Emporium, based in Derbyshire, has been designing and supplying dolls’ houses and miniatures for 30 years, and has seen demand for houses and accessories grow – the launch of its latest, and biggest, annual catalogue in September reflects this.

“Building and decorating dolls’ houses has been a popular hobby for many people, for many years. However, interest is spreading and we are now receiving requests from a number of different sectors, with different needs,” explains Jackie Lee, managing director of The Dolls House Emporium.  “For example, we are currently supporting a number of hospices and care homes, which are beginning to use hobbies, such as building dolls’ houses, for occupational therapy, helping improve patients’ coordination whilst also developing their minds and imagination – a fantastic demonstration of the importance of a hobby.

“Our houses and accessories have also been used by agencies for advertising campaigns and producers as props for films and television,” adds Jackie.

To help you get started with your hobby, there is a growing on-line community of like-minded dolls’ house enthusiasts.  By following The Dolls House Emporium on Twitter (www.twitter.com/dollshouse) or by joining its Facebook group (www.facebook.com) you will have instant access to hints, tips and news.  The forums on the website (www.dollshouseforum.com/forum), together with the frequent blogs (www.dollshouseblog.com/blog) will also help you to share your stories and interact with other like minded people in the dolls’ house hobby community.

The latest 2009/2010 catalogue from The Dolls House Emporium will be launched in September with over 170 new products being added to the already-comprehensive range and has everything you need to start your hobby.

For any enquiries and to order your free copy of The Dolls House Emporium catalogue please call 0845 434 7447 or visit www.dollshouse.co.uk/EGC09.

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Company Overview

The Dolls House Emporium is the world’s leading supplier of dolls’ houses and miniature collectables. Based in Derbyshire and trading from 65,000 square foot premises with a retail shop, the company employs around 70 people and distributes worldwide via traditional channels and the Internet, whilst supporting over 300 retailers at home and abroad. The company supplies over 30 precision-made house kits and over 2,500 related accessories, which it promotes through its free 220-page catalogue.

Contact Details

For further information please contact:

Louise Hatton, PR Co-ordinator: + 44 (0)1773 514462

or email: louise.hatton@dollshouse.com or visit www.dollshouse.co.uk.

Ideas to decorate your house can come from anywhere and everywhere.  However, more and more people are now looking to the Internet for those inspirational touches – and social media sites are a great way to find these ideas.

The Dolls House Emporium has embraced on-line social media.  With a fan page on Facebook (www.facebook.com) and regular ‘tweets’ every day on Twitter (www.twitter.com/dollshouse), they have created an on-line community dedicated to the dolls’ house enthusiast.  The forums on the company website (http://www.dollshouseforum.com/forum/), together with the frequent blogs (http://www.dollshouseblog.com/blog/), are also great sources for inventive ideas, hints and tips.

Both sites also encourage customers to engage with The Dolls House Emporium, creating a two-way conversation where customers can make suggestions and send feedback – and with over 100 fans on Facebook and the same amount of followers on Twitter, there is a whole new world to explore and new people to meet.

“The possibilities for these media to allow a better relationship between customers and companies are unprecedented, eventually leading to much greater consumer power, which is fantastic news for all the companies out there that value their customers” explains Jackie Lee, managing director of The Dolls House Emporium.  “The forums and other social networking sites have helped us to better understand our customers and we have been able to take their feedback and turn it in to a reality.  This is reflected in our latest catalogue.”

With over 170 new products being added to the already comprehensive range, the 2009/2010 catalogue from The Dolls House Emporium will be released in September.  The new products will be backed by the usual high level of customer service, which includes same day despatch on all orders received before 5pm (with the exception of built houses) – no need to wait for your latest acquisition!

To order your free copy of The Dolls House Emporium catalogue please call 080 00 11 44 11 quoting EDHW14 or visit www.dollshouse.co.uk/EDHW14. You can also visit The Dolls House Emporium shop at High Holborn Road, Ripley in Derbyshire or The Dolls House Emporium shop at Houghton Hall Garden Centre near Carlisle.

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Company Overview

The Dolls House Emporium is the world’s leading supplier of dolls’ houses and miniature collectables. Based in Derbyshire and trading from 65,000 square foot premises with a retail shop, the company employs over 65 people and distributes worldwide via traditional channels and the Internet, whilst supporting over 400 retailers at home and abroad. The company supplies over 30 precision-made house kits and over 2,500 related accessories, which it promotes through its free 220-page catalogue.

Contact Details

For further information please contact:

Louise Hatton, PR Co-ordinator: + 44 (0)1773 514462

or email: louise.hatton@dollshouse.com or visit www.dollshouse.co.uk

The World of Interiors magazine used dolls’ house chairs to show off a range of trimmings for its ‘Fringe Theatre’ feature.  From frills and tassels to pompoms, the miniature furniture was the perfect way to showcase a selection of designs – and all without the usual space and cost limitations associated with photo shoots!

For more information on how you can use miniature furniture in your photo shoots or to discuss your needs, please call Louise Hatton on +44 (0) 1773 514462.