For more than five decades, the MacPherson family has built, adapted and reinvented its business in downtown St. Marys. Now, facing major changes in the company’s once-lucrative U.S. market, Brenda Neufeld is doing it again.
The latest chapter is bringing the family business back toward its Canadian roots, with the storefront at 91 Queen Street East now focusing increasingly on completed dolls designed for children, collectors, seniors and people living with dementia.
“Even when circumstances force us to change direction, I try to approach each new chapter with the same determination, personal care and belief in the business that she had,” Neufeld said of her
mother, Joan MacPherson.
enjoying a tender cuddle years before her journey with dementia
began. Her life and legacy continue toinspire the family’s work with
therapy dolls.
The story began in 1972, when MacPherson opened a small shop called The Common Place in St. Marys. As the business grew, it became MacPherson Arts & Crafts and developed into a destination store for crafters from St. Marys and well beyond.
During the 1980s and 1990s, MacPherson built the business into a substantial downtown retail operation. Neufeld worked alongside her mother during those years before taking over the business in 1999 and downsizing the retail operation.
The next major transformation came in 2006, when the business entered the reborn doll industry.
Reborn dolls are highly realistic dolls created by artists, and MacPherson’s business began supplying unpainted doll parts, kits and specialized materials to reborn doll makers. It proved to be a niche business with an international reach.
At its peak, approximately 80 per cent of the company’s sales went to the United States. But changes to cross-border trade have prompted Neufeld to rethink the business yet again. “We have had to reinvent ourselves more than once,” she said. “It feels as though we are doing that again.”
Rather than continuing to rely heavily on the U.S. market, Neufeld is using the company’s experience, and its collection of more than 400 doll molds, to develop completed weighted dolls for the Canadian market.
The business, now known as the MacPherson Doll House, features two Canadian doll brands.
Nater during his visit to learn how tariffs have affected the family business and how
it is transi- tioning toward Canadian markets. Pictured from left to right, are Brenda
Neufeld, MP John Nater, Shelly McLean and Angie Currah.
Dolls Inc. offers dolls for children, families and collectors, while Therapy Dolls Canada is being developed for seniors, long-term care communities and people requiring sensory support.
The therapy dolls have a particularly personal connection for Neufeld. Her mother lived with dementia later in life, giving the family firsthand experience with the value of comfort, familiarity and meaningful interaction. The dolls are designed to be held and nurtured, with weighted bodies, realistic faces and soft cloth construction. Neufeld is working to introduce them to longterm care homes, community programs and families.
The Dolls Inc. line includes weighted baby dolls as well as Ready to beBorn kits, allowing children and families to assemble their own dolls.
And despite the company’s international history, the latest chapter is very much local.
The dolls are weighted, stuffed, dressed and assembled by the company’s team at the St. Marys location. Neufeld said that connection to the community is important to her.
“St. Marys is our home, and this storefront represents far more than a place of business to me,” she said. “It holds the history of my mother and father, my children and our extended family.”
Joan MacPherson died in October 2025, adding another layer of significance to the family’s latest transition.
Neufeld said her mother taught her that running a family business means being willing to change while never losing sight of the people the business serves.
“She showed me that success is not only measured by sales, but also by the relationships you build and how you contribute to your community,” Neufeld said.
That philosophy is now guiding the latest incarnation of a business that has already undergone several.
“During the 1980s and 1990s, my mom built MacPherson Arts & Crafts into a destination store that brought people to St. Marys from near and far,” Neufeld said. “It means a great deal to me to continue what she began and to work toward making our store a destination once again, this time as the MacPherson Doll House.”
She hopes the new direction will allow the business to once again draw customers to St. Marys, but this time for a very different reason.
“I love this town, and I am very proud that our dolls are being assembled here and that the next chapter of our family business is still being written in St. Marys.”
STEWART GRANT
Publisher