Melissa Nolan is closing her doll shop and hospital because there isn't enough business in Dublin to pay the bills.
It's more than that, you'd expect.
Once upon a time, little girls were given dolls as toys to play with. If they were judged mature enough to exercise great care, they would receive a fanciful confection of porcelain and elaborate costume and real hair. Such items were cherished forever, and brought to the doll hospital for repair.
The closest we have today is the American Girl series, but those pale in comparison.
Girls aren't limited to domestic-themed toys these days. The future women of the world enjoy video games, and they're as likely to be out on the soccer pitch as they are to be found playing house.
Yet there remains a fascination with dolls and all their paraphernalia. Witness the financial success of the American Girl and the Cabbage Patch Kids before that, to say nothing of all things Barbie.
What's particularly sad about the loss of Ms. Nolan's shop is the fact that a doll store has occupied those premises on George's Street since the 1930's. The Great Depression didn't kill it then, but the Great Recession has done its worst.
The Nolans hope to find someplace else to re-open, some other storefront where the rent is in line with the shop's limited income. Surely there will always be a market for dollhouses and miniatures and clothes and a custom-made doll that's like no other in the world.
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