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FALL RIVER, Mass. (WJAR) — A Massachusetts man turned his passion for restoring old dollhouses into a career and now runs the world's largest dollhouse shop.
Flip This Dollhouse in Fall River is the world's largest dollhouse shop, with more than 100 dollhouses and thousands of miniature furniture pieces.
"When I was a little boy, I wanted a dollhouse more than anything," Flip This Dollhouse owner Nathaniel Ellis said. "I pinch myself that this is what I do for work."
Ellis began flipping used dollhouses in a laundry room 24 years ago as a hobby.
"I would fix them up and figure out what their story was," Ellis said.
After 15 years in business and restoring hundreds of dollhouses, Flip This Dollhouse has become known around the world.
"I didn't think it was going to end up being the largest dollhouse shop in the world. But here we are, and I couldn't be happier," Ellis said.
The shop has more than 100 dollhouses for sale, ranging from $99 for smaller homes to $25,000 for its largest mansion.
"That one is pretty big. It's like 22 rooms, and it's the size of an elephant," Ellis said.
Each house has its own story, filled with intricate details.
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"I figure out what speaks to me about the house, what's going to be the story or the theme or the design style," Ellis said. "Sometimes I like to make it look lived in and like something's happening — maybe a party or some sort of event."
Ellis said restoring some of the dollhouses, which date back to the 1880s, can take months.
"Flooring, wallpaper, furniture, rugs, curtains, lighting — everything has to coordinate," Ellis said.
The dollhouses and antique miniatures have attracted visitors from around the world. Some pieces from the shop were even featured in the backdrop of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.
The backdrop showed miniature pieces from the Fall River shop on fire as part of the show's visuals.
"I actually went and saw her concert in the theater, and it shows the dollhouse burning down, and I was so excited," Ellis said.
The shop gives people of all ages the opportunity to experience dollhouses.
"The little boy in me wanted a dollhouse growing up. Now I get to see little boys and girls come into my shop and get a dollhouse at 4 or 5 years old. So that is very rewarding," Ellis said.
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