Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
A willingness for learning and adventure has Sue Scott opening The Doll House at the Hotel Cathlamet this week. Most of the dolls in the shop belonged to a local collector and are now under consignment with Scott.
Another business is opening on Main Street in Cathlamet on Saturday that promises to be fun for the kids and for the kid in all of us, The Doll House at the Hotel Cathlamet.
The proprietor, Sue Scott, is new to the community. She hails from southern California, but lived more recently in the Midwest and Texas, and moved to Cathlamet to be closer to family.
"To make a long story short, I'm starting over," Scott said. "Eighty-two years old and starting something. This never entered my mind."
While staying at the Hotel Cathlamet, she made a friend whose mother had amassed a huge collection of dolls over her lifetime. The daughter did not know what to do with the entire collection, but between her and Scott, who is always looking to stay busy, they decided that some could be sold on consignment.
Scott attributes much of her recent good fortune to hotel owner, Laurel Waller, who has given her the space to work in, and allowed her to keep the dolls in the hotel while she prepared them for sale over the last year.
"She's just an angel in disguise," Scott said.
As for the collection, Scott has been doing a lot of research, getting to know each doll. It takes a bit of time, but she's content to keep learning. The dolls are used now and marked down, but when new, the collector paid at least $100, and for some of them, quite a bit more.
"The newer ones, you can't touch them for less than $250," Scott said.
Kewpie dolls, teddy bears, Cabbage Patch dolls, Raggedy Ann and Andy, and a variety of antique and vintage dolls line the walls. Even Elvis is in the house.
This isn't Scott's first shop. She once had a dress shop in Oxnard, CA and later sold home decor and silk plants in Eureka, CA.
Plenty of people have already stopped in to ask if Scott would sell their dolls too. The answer is yes, she will take dolls on consignment.
Scott plans to open the shop this Saturday if all goes according to plan. For now, her hours will be 12-5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, but there will be some adjusting as she goes along.
The Doll House at the Hotel Cathlamet can be found at 73 Main Street in Cathlamet.
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