By Sarrah Peters/News Editor
A local store and tourist attraction, Little Faces Doll Shop, has been providing quality dolls to its customers for over 25 years.
The store has been open since 1989. This is the 26th Christmas they have been open.
The store has numerous types of dolls, but especially focuses in carrying Lee Middleton dolls. The vinyl dolls with synthetic hair look just like real babies.
The dolls are actually “adopted” out to children, collectors or anyone that wants one. The Little Faces Doll Shop was chosen in 2001 to be one of only 50 doll shops in the country to feature a nursery. At the nursery, the recipient chooses the doll that he/she wants. Afterwards, they fill out adoption paperwork and name the baby doll. Then, the adopted baby doll gets to go home with his or her new family.
In the 13 years since the 50 nurseries opened, many have shut down, making this already unique experience even more rare.
Many people travel to see the shop and nursery making it a tourist attraction. One man headed to Georgia from Ohio went out of his way to see the shop after seeing a brochure in a rest stop.
Another young girl was disappointed to find that the doll shop with the Lee Middleton nursery had closed in Birmingham. Her mother and grandmother brought her to Gadsden for the sole purpose of adopting her doll.
“The best part of it is seeing the happiness on their faces when they get their baby,” said owner Terry Jennings, who has worked hard to keep the shop up and running.
The dolls cost $120 each, and can wear real baby clothes from size 0-3 months.
The store also hosts birthday parties.
At the same location, Susan Jones runs Past Revisited, an antique collectors store. The store sells old toys, including collector favorites like Star Wars and Star Trek. They even sell local historical documents, such as letters, legal papers and even a pamphlet for bomb shelters from the 1960s.
Little Faces Doll Shop is open Monday-Saturday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, visit facebook.com/LittleFacesDollShop.