A couple of years ago, I posted a series of tutorials showing how to make a doll-sized grocery store out of a cardboard box.
I loved this little store (dubbed Pixie Dust Market). The signs, wood shelves, and sale bins were too cute!
However, finding a place to store this store was challenging. Box rooms are so chunky! The store needed at least a 14″ by 14″ area dedicated solely to it–and that’s with the floor folded up!
Because it took up so much space, I’ve decided to retire our old market and build a new one with a smaller footprint.
Welcome to the new and improved Pixie Dust Market!
As you can see, it’s quite a bit smaller than the previous one.
The design is loosely based on My Froggy Stuff’s folding doll rooms. This is the second folding doll room I’ve made, the first being the Pixie Dust Boutique. I must say, they don’t disappoint!
Each room is 13 inches tall and 11 inches deep (the grocery store is slightly taller, standing around 13 1/2 inches tall). They are around 18 inches wide when fully opened but then fold up to a mere 7 inches.
Right now, both these shops are sitting in the space the old grocery store once occupied. Two rooms instead of one!
Now that the construction is done, I’m more than ready to start decorating and adding our Mini Brands. But first, I better show you some of what I did (especially since I had to improvise a little here and there).
Making The Window:
After trimming the foam board to the correct size and scoring it to make folding panels, I cut out a large, three-paned window on one wall. That was before I realized I was fresh out of plastic😱.
It’s been a while since I bought a new doll, so my plastic stash is nothing but scraps—definitely not enough to cover a giant window. I thought about leaving the window open, but would that look tacky? I couldn’t decide. So, I ended up covering it with the only see-through material in my craft reservoir: A clear page protector.
I didn’t have any 12″ X 12″ page protectors, so I cut two sides of an 8″ X 12″ sheet (making it wide enough to cover the window) and glued it over the opening. Then I had a stroke of genius!
I grabbed a second page protector and cut it the same way I did the first–slightly larger than the window. I then glued down just the top and bottom (instead of four sides), creating a sort of pocket for sliding sheets of paper in and out. This means I can change the background whenever I like without damaging the room. Just pull out the old paper and slip in a new one!
Once the window was done, I got to work creating a new refrigerator to hold our mini ice cream, butter tubs, and meats.
Making A Mini Freezer:
The window and shelves take up most of the store’s wall space. The only free area is a tiny 4-inch section between the shelves and edge of the wall.
Since our old doll freezer will never fit here, I’m going to have to make a new one–one that’s a lot smaller.
This is what I came up with:
Honestly, I spent more time making this darn freezer than I did building the entire store! My hard work paid off, though, and it turned out better than I imagined.
This little freezer is a modified version of My Froggy Stuff’s mini-fridge. It’s larger than the one in the video, measuring about 6″ tall, 4″ wide, and 1 1/2″ deep.
Along with making it bigger, I gave the freezer a glass door so the dolls can see the products inside. Of course, the “glass” isn’t real—it’s the last bit of plastic from my used-up plastic stash.
I covered the outside of the freezer with a light blue printable (designed by yours truly). The inside walls and shelves are painted with white shimmer paint to give it a crystalline look, then topped with thick daubs of glitter paint for a little extra ice.
Personally, I prefer glitter paint over regular glitter. The sparkles are easier to control and stay where they belong. Not all over the floor.
Finally, I glued the freezer in place, completing our store’s frozen aisle.
All that’s left to do now is hang the sign, and we’re ready for business😉.
Hanging The Sign:
At last! Our doll grocery store is finished!
Yes, I suppose we ought to fill the shelves before hanging an OPEN sign.
Here is our fully stocked, ready-to-shop store:
Your wish is my command!
Once again, Hobby Lobby is the only place where I can find Mini Brands in stock. They even have Toy Mini Brands! (We’ll talk more about those later😉).
Inside our first ball we found:
I believe Tink is right—that yellow thingy looks a lot like a scanner. I don’t remember seeing a scanner in the catalog, though?
Besides the pizza snacks, all of the products we opened are new. I particularly like that box of Jell-O.
Yes, the Jell-O box is probably too big for Barbies. But I’m probably going to use it in our store anyway.
Inside Mini Brand ball number two is:
It looks like Tink has inherited my affinity for roll-able storage bins😂!
Although the shelf is too small for playscale dolls, it’s just the right height for mini dolls like Shopkin Shoppies, Polly Pocket, and (of course) Disney Fairies.
And let’s not forget the mini Maxwell Coffee and box of Shake ‘N’ Bake. Those two pieces are absolutely adorable (not to mention perfect for Barbie-sized kitchens)!
Well, friends, what do you think?
Our little store might not be as fancy as others, but I think it turned out nicely. There’s plenty of room for the dolls to shop and (even more important) lots of shelves for our Mini Brands. That’s kind of a big deal, especially since Season 3 was just released!
Oh, yes–I’m already on the hunt for this collection. My dolls need some sweets!
Now it’s your turn!
Do you like folding doll rooms? Or are box rooms still awesome?
Feel free to share your thoughts, and don’t forget to like and follow this blog so you never miss a post😉.
Your new market turned out great! Congrats on making one that’s a little easier to store. I saw your little fairy at the thrift store recently, had to smile at Tink:@)
Thank you😁! Yes, space around here is precious so easy-to-store doll rooms are a must. That’s so funny you found a Tink twin😆. It’s been a while since I’ve seen any of my fairies around here. It’s a shame too because I would buy them in a heartbeat. I’m looking for Iridessa on eBay but having a hard time finding one within my budget.