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Arizona: It's all about chairs


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Metro Phoenix

The must-stop spot in Scottsdale is Kris Kringle's on Fifth, where the chair is king, queen, and most of the court. Let's talk resin. Heck, let's drool on it. Looking for something to round out a smaller cottage? There's resin in approximately 1:16. Thinking of half-scale in Arts and Crafts? That'll be $1.99. Resin horn table or horn chair? Both are available -- and since these are Christmas ornaments, the prices are quite moderate, often under $10. There are also 1:8 chairs for travel dolls, crystal chandeliers that would do Barbie proud, and assorted vintage dollhouse accessories. This is one of the rare stores where I'm tempted to make a second trip just in case I missed something.

At a much higher price point is Scottsdale's The Doll House, home of unique (and very expensive) Southwestern room sets. Think "investment quality." (Think "Calamari can't afford that.")

At the other end of the metro area (in every possible way) is Auntie Em's of Glendale. Leave time; bring money. Selection is excellent, with interesting goodies at every price point. Unlike many stores, Auntie Em's carries Greenleaf and Corona Concepts kits. Correspondingly, the selection of parts to kitbash, decorate, and improve with is outstanding. New-to-me are walls of tile designs, with wainscotting, body, and frieze molded as one piece but colored in distinct (and very elegant) tiles. Furniture ranges from artisanal Southwestern pieces to affordable Latin American sets that I haven't seen elsewhere. This is also a half-scale destination, with hard-to-find houses and some Town Square roomsets that I suspect date from the first half-scale boom in the 1980s. The store also buys estate pieces at any scale, so keep an eye out for houses and furniture that are hard to find. I succumbed to a 3/4-scale cabin kit for $25, and there were more where that came from. And don't forget the substantial selection of quarter-scale parts and furniture for your Greenleaf Village! (Yes, they also carry the village. Why are you still reading this when you could be there now?)

Added April 2006: I finally got out to visit the notorious Diane Ribbon, Phoenix's largest and best venue for craft supplies. On the one hand, this place is really meant for local residents who can stock up on the comprehensive selection of ribbons, floral picks, and other goodies. On the other hand, they had gold lame cacti, as well as my current obsession, tiny plastic bride-and-groom sets. And all for cheap!

Once out of metro Phoenix, go where you're going for the scenery, as miniature finds are fewer and more likely to be fortuitous.

Flagstaff

If you're headed for the Grand Canyon or touring Route 66, Flagstaff is where the cheap hotels and pleasant Mexican restaurants are kept. Once you're there, you may as well get out of the car. Check out Animas Beads, where you may find a few unexpected animal-shaped charms in the fairly small store on Rte 66. About Memories and More is a pleasant regional scrapbooking store that seemed to have a good selection of smaller prints. It's in a shopping center with a peculiar interlocking hobby store-toy store-educational store set-up that may be worth checking out, though none of the components carry dollhouse materials as such.

Across Rte 66, in the funky neighborhood near Northern Arizona State, De Colores del Barrio carries those stands with the miniature pots and Mexican food. (I didn't buy one because I'd be overwhelmingly tempted to pry the accessories off and use them in a house.)

Downtown Flagstaff is loaded with gift stores, which we didn't check out due to lack of parking -- it was the weekend of both the annual folk festival and the gay pride festival, which I suppose brings new meaning to "queer as folk." One promising stop is Mountain Christmas of Flagstaff, as the Prescott store had 1:24 laser-cut Adirondack chairs and a 1:24 resin upright piano.

Grand Canyon

Did I mention going for the view? The only grab-the-tourists'-money store that pays off in minis is Double Eagle Trading Co., which offers $3 mini buffalo skulls. That's also where I discovered the woven coaster-as-Navaho rug.

Sedona

One word: view. There's also no lack of fudge, ice cream, coffee, and t-shirt shops. But this is the first place ever that I have left both a bead store and a Christmas shop not only empty-handed but without the slightest regret at not buying anything. The one hot spot is Cactus Carlos, featuring a fabulous selection of coaster-rugs, plus 1:12 clay pots. This is also where we scored the $1.99 quartz top slated for Niko and Fuzz's coffee table.

The photo shows the horn chair and table with coaster-rugs, unglazed pots, and buffalo skull.

arizona.jpg

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