DIY Shelves And Counters For A Doll Grocery Store

Ready to get back to work on our doll grocery store?  Great!  Grab your glue gun and let’s get started!

We’ve built a frame for our store and covered the walls and floor with paper.  Now we need to add some counters and shelves so we can stock it with Mini Brands and other doll-sized groceries.

Let’s start by making a couple of shelving units.

Freestanding Shelves For A Doll Grocery Store:

Do these shelves look familiar?  They should!  I made them following the instructions My Froggy Stuff gives in her 5 Surprise Mini Brands unboxing (there’s a link to the video at the bottom of this post ?).

The materials I used to make the shelves are:

1. Small wood dowels (mine are 12″ tall and have a 3/16″ diameter).
2. Small craft sticks.
3. Jumbo craft sticks.
4. Glue.
5. An opened 5 Surprise Mini Brands package.

These freestanding shelves were the first pieces I made for the store.  They are about 11″ tall, have four bins each for holding groceries, and a cute chalkboard sign at the top to advertise the latest sale.

I believe the ones My Froggy Stuff made are 12-inches tall, but I cut mine down an inch to make sure they fit inside the store.

Because the bottoms of the dowels are small, getting them to stand upright was a little challenging.  It didn’t matter what type of glue I used, the legs on my shelves would pull away from the base and eventually fall off.

To stop this, I glued small craft sticks in front and behind the dowels to brace them.  The craft sticks help steady the dowels and also provide more wood for the glue to stick to.

Also, since the shelves are a little top heavy (especially when filled with Mini Brands), I stuck a jumbo craft stick across the feet in the back to counter the weight of the 5 Surprise sections.  Now my shelves are stable and ready to be filled!

But first, I’m going to stick a few tiny pieces of double-sided tape inside each bin so the boxes and bottles stay perfectly arranged.

There!  Two freestanding shelving units perfect for holding our dolls’ groceries!

The Checkout Counter:

This checkout counter is another My Froggy Stuff craft.  It’s super easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of supplies.  All you need are a few pieces of cardboard, some scrapbook paper (computer paper also works) and glue.

Sadly, my counter is nowhere near as neat as Froggy’s.  It’s a little…crooked.  Did I ever mention that making straight cuts isn’t my strong point?

I’ve decided to leave it alone for now since I’m using it to hold surplus items (aka doubles).  But don’t be surprised if I revisit this craft at some point to fix those unsightly flaws.

The Cash Register:

A cash register is a must-have accessory for any grocery store, including doll grocery stores.