When Brenda Neufeld’s mother, Joan MacPherson, opened a small arts and crafts store in St. Marys in 1972, she could hardly have imagined where the family business would be more than 50 years later.
That small store grew to become MacPherson Arts & Crafts, a name well known to generations of crafters throughout Ontario. At its height, the business expanded across three buildings in downtown St. Marys, with more than 10,000 square feet of retail space filled with arts, crafts and supplies. Like many long-standing family businesses, MacPherson’s continued to change with its customers. Over time, crafts led to doll making, and beginning in 2006 the business developed a strong presence in the reborn doll industry, eventually serving doll artists and customers far beyond Canada.
Today, another chapter is unfolding at the family’s familiar Queen Street location, now known to visitors as the MacPherson Doll House - our brick-and-mortar store and showroom in the heart of downtown St. Marys where visitors will discover two distinct Canadian doll brands.
A New Chapter Close to Home
For many years, a large portion of the company’s business was with customers in the United States. Changes to cross-border shipping and U.S. import requirements forced the family to rethink where the business should go next. Instead of looking farther away, they began looking more closely at Canada. That shift has led to a renewed focus on Canadian families, care communities and local visitors—and on creating products that can be seen, held and experienced right in St. Marys.
“We realized we had something special here at home,” Brenda says. “People can come into the showroom, hold the dolls, compare the different sizes and styles, and actually talk with the people who assemble and work with them every day in St. Marys.”
Dolls for Play, Creativity and Connection
The Dolls Inc. side of the showroom includes weighted baby dolls and Ready to beBorn® kits. Each Ready to beBorn® kit includes everything needed to make a complete doll, together with thorough step-by-step instructions. Designed to make doll-making approachable, the kits give children and families the experience and satisfaction of assembling their own doll.
Visitors will also discover a growing variety of dolls, with different faces, sizes and styles, both awake and sleeping including dolls representing Caucasian, Black and East Asian ethnicities. For younger visitors, the dolls are about nurturing, imaginative play and finding that special doll they connect with. For families, the Ready to beBorn® kits can also become an activity to enjoy together - something especially meaningful as the holiday season approaches.
A Different Kind of Doll
Across the showroom, Therapy Dolls Canada tells another part of the story. These weighted dolls are designed with seniors, dementia care and sensory support in mind. They are being introduced to long-term care homes, community programs and families looking for a comforting, familiar object to hold. For Brenda, this side of the business is especially personal. Her own mother lived with dementia, giving the family a firsthand understanding of how important comfort, familiarity and meaningful connection can become later in life.
The dolls are thoughtfully designed for care settings, combining realistic faces and visible hands and feet with soft, cuddly cloth bodies. Each is carefully weighted to provide a comforting presence to hold and nurture.
From children discovering a doll to love, to families creating something together, to seniors finding comfort in a familiar embrace, the business has changed considerably since 1972.