The media continues to bring nothing but bad news. However, my personal experience and that of the doll community (so far) isn't all bad. My doll sales in my personal retail business were actually up for January 2009 over January 2008. Theriault's held their annual auction at the beginning of the month, and prices were strong. Sometimes, collectors continue to collect during a downturn because they simply don't have anyplace else to invest their money. (My husband used to tell me that dolls were a poor investment compared to stocks. Well, he isn't saying that much these days).
I am curious to see how the economy has impacted IDEX. Usually, the planes I take to get to IDEX are booked solid; not so this year where many empty seats are available. The hotel that IDEX is held at, the Rosen Shingle Creek, is usually booked solid. Not so this year; rooms were available as of yesterday.
During the last economic downturn, the one that followed 9/11, the modern doll industry was hit particularly hard. Several doll companies closed, and others consolidated, and many doll retailers closed their doors as well. However, that downturn was not only caused by the economy; it was also caused by the impact of the rapidly growing and changing Internet, and how that changed doll collecting.
I will be closely watching attendance at IDEX as well as at the special IDEX events, and I'll be talking to doll artists and manufacturers to see how their business is at IDEX, and how it was at the end of last year. I'm nervous, but I'm hoping that the doll industry and the doll market can survive the downturn intact, or at least close to intact. When the economy improves (as it always eventually does) I hope that all of our favorite doll artists, manufacturers, and retailers are still there for us.
