DEPARTMENT STORE   scale 1/187

For a long time I wanted to make "something" in a 1/12 scale cupboard.
But I never seemed to find the time.
Until……………
My friends Manja Nelen, Lia van der Spek, Nancy van 't Hof and I made an arrangement to have some 1/144 days during the year.
The four of us each bought a cupboard from Jan Slagter so we could get started.

I knew what I wanted to make a modern department store with an escalator in the middle and a car park in the drawers.

Making things in this small scale is not quick.
After a few days the rooms made of cardboard, the escalators and the toilets (important in a big store) were finished.

 

After some more days this was the result:

Another important department in a store: the restaurant.

The furniture department.

The result of another 2 days hard labour: the flower department.

And we had some more wonderful 1/144 gatherings.
This is what the store looks like now:
 

On the first floor on the left is the kitchen department.

On the shelves at the back you will find:
an electric grill, a blender, a pair of scales, a senseo coffee maker, a deep fry pan and
2 Bamix’s

The China dinner ware is on the tables
At the right-hand side you can see the pots and vases. Wilhelmien Lokate turned them from wood and painted them!
And luckily there are some customers because without them the store would go bankrupt.

The first floor on the right hand side is the clothes department.

At the back are some wooden mannequins with knitted dresses and a sweater.
In the corner is a "real" plastic mannequin in a summer dress.
On the left-hand side are the hats. There are 6 of them. A woman is trying one on her head in front of the mirror.

Next I will make a clothes rack with clothes on it.

The toy department on the ground floor only has some dolls prams.
So now I have to make some toys!


I am glad my department store isn’t finished yet. I definitely need more of those lovely days with my friends.

September 2006

Since my last writing we have had a lot of miniing and my department store is almost ready!
I will show you the pictures of all my six departments, the escalator, the toilets and............the parking garage.

In the restaurant I made a big mirror behind the buffet table Now it looks like there are twice as many delicious plates of food. Above the mirror is a sign with "no self service" and on the wall a sign with "toilets". Both very useful signs.

There are some changes here too. The toilet attendent's Dachshund has got a coat and now he feels very comfortable A tampon and a condom slot machine are hanging on the wall. This is an extra srevice for the clients

I did not change much in this department. Only the sign with "toilets" on the wall.

We have some new wall decorations. I am glad the child in the background did not knock anything over.

The clients must be glad with the new signs on the wall. Now they can see which floor they are going to and which departments. Do you see the girl in the green dress and the boy with the rucksack in the 2 nd picture? Do they fancy each other??

This department has changed a lot. I made a display rack with clothes and a lot of buyers came immediately. In the background is a mirror and the man in the foreground is the store detective. No thief is save from him!

	In the toy department children can stay for hours. Rocking animals, cars, boats, dolls, a puppet theatre, a shovel board, balls, kites, jumping ropes etc. Actually too much to mention. What a pity that the mothers do not have that much patience!

At first the flower department was a bit boring and empty but now it is full and cosy. This is the place were a man can buy flowers for his beloved.

And now my pride and joy: THE PARKING GARAGE

In order to be able to make the garage I had to remove the backs of the 3 drawers and glue the fronts together. In the first picture the garage is being built. Very soon 2 bicycle sheds were made because the people had put the bicycles everywhere. And that was so messy. Now you can park in the garage and go in the elevator to the store. Very convenient. Unfortunately the parking garage has to be paid for.

What a cosy atmosphere! The lights are burning. Just one thing has to be done and then it is really finished. It has to have a name. Lots of people thought of names but at last I just called it "DE KORT" . Actually a good name for a department store. I cannot enjoy this department store for a long time because tomorrow I will bring it to the dollshouse Museum in Heesch. ( The Netherlands) There it will be on show till the end of june.

EXHIBITIONS
januari- end of june - dollshouse museum Heesch