Popular Concession Street doll store closing
Gail Henderson and her sister Shirleyann Bastable have a lot of cleaning up to do.
The women are closing Rainbow Treasures at the end of August after nearly 30 years on Concession Street.
“It’s time to go,” says Henderson, 65, who along with her sister figures they have taught several hundred people the fine art of making porcelain dolls since they opened in 1987.
A third sister, Donna Henning, also works in the store.
Bastable, 75, explains that one of the main reasons they are calling it a day is that it’s getting harder to find doll-making materials.
“An awful lot of our suppliers have closed and our main supplier in the United States is closing.”
In addition, Henderson says, teaching doll making and selling the associated materials is not as lucrative as it used to be.
Bastable says she took several doll-making classes in the late 1970s because she wanted to save her mother’s antique doll collection. She passed her knowledge on to her sisters.
“There were many hours at night because we poured the porcelain at home,” she recalls.
Bastable admits she no longer has the physical dexterity needed to do doll repairs.
The two women have begun the big task of sorting out all of the dolls and other materials in time for a sale on July 25.
Both women agreed they will miss the street and its people when they close their door for the last time.
Concession Street Business Improvement Area chair Leo Santos said the women ran the kind of specialty shop that you wouldn’t find in a shopping mall. “They will definitely be missed,” Santos said.