{"id":20842,"date":"2024-05-15T01:29:08","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T07:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/?p=20842"},"modified":"2024-05-13T16:36:38","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T22:36:38","slug":"dollhouse-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/15\/dollhouse-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"Dollhouse Returns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lara Spencer Is Back<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

BY ISAIAH FRIZZELL<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
New location of the Dollhouse in Hailey. Photo credit: Lara Spencer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Dollhouse? Reopening? The historic, iconic, and sparkling little consignment store that could is back, full tilt. The enigmatic Lara Spencer is home again, bringing her visionary heart and a living lucid dream to the people of the Wood River Valley. At a new location in Hailey, The Dollhouse is reborn and in service to the community with Spencer\u2019s radical take on social well-being through her amour de soi bodega.<\/p>\n

History Does Rhyme<\/strong>
\n\u201cAll of this is a whole miracle,\u201d says Spencer on the reopening of The Dollhouse. \u201cAll of this is happening through manifestation and the support of the community.\u201d Spencer lives her life through vision and prayer. \u201cWhen it\u2019s right, it flows and is almost effortless.\u201d
\nSpencer has been in consignment for over 25 years, far before it was a trend. She was recruited by the Seattle Mariners to help build Safeco Field working as a merchandise coordinator and manager for the flagship team store for a decade\u2014a Major League babe working for Major League Baseball garnering the coveted title of Employee of the Year. How exquisitely American.
\nDottie Spencer, Lara\u2019s mother, was a well-known interior designer who worked for Sun Valley Rug and Tile, while her brother, Michael Beasley, director of technology for The Community School, were longtime residents of the Valley. Lara Spencer, rocking the block in Seattle, one day received a letter. Her niece was being bullied at school, in a big way. Perhaps unconventionally beautiful and sensitive, the abuse was enough for the embattled young girl to reach out to her aunt and the potency of the note exploded in the crucible of Spencer\u2019s soul. She knew immediately what she was going to do and how she would do it. Everything she was to do became manifest in a single blistering moment as Spencer decided, resolutely, to move from Seattle to Ketchum and open The Dollhouse as a service to others with the express purpose of healing the esteem-afflicted and boosting the inner confidence and self-image of all who would enter or come in contact with her services.
\n\u201cThe mission statement is and has been, always, \u2018service first, financial gain second.\u2019 I made the decision to move when I received that letter. \u2018I\u2019m going to move to Ketchum where my family is. I\u2019m going to build this thing, I\u2019m going to be recycled, I\u2019m going to be of service and I\u2019m going to make sure everybody who walks through the door feels valued.\u2019 All of a sudden I knew what I was going to build. I knew what the name was. I knew where it was going to go and I had never even seen the space. The Valley needs this. Service first.
\n\u201cSo, I called The Advocates in 2006 and talked to the social change coordinator, Darrel Harris, and I said, \u2018My name is Lara. I\u2019m going to build a small business and it\u2019s going to be inclusive and positive to everyone and I want to be of service to you.\u2019 And that\u2019s how that started.\u201d
\nA survivor of domestic violence herself, Spencer was on a mission to be of service to the traumatized and the bullied. The Dollhouse was open for a decade, from 2006\u20132016. Longtime locals know it well and remember it ecstatically as a pure vibe. More than a store, it was an egregore.
\n\u201cAll these years later I\u2019m restarting. Before I put any money down on anything, I called Darrel Harris and I said, I\u2019m back! I\u2019m ready to help and I\u2019m going to run it the same way I did before, and she lost her mind. She said, \u201cI was just talking about you yesterday!\u201d And literally we\u2019d not spoken in over five years! She said, \u2018We\u2019re looking for new visions and creative events like you did all those years ago.\u2019 God, source, creator, whatever you call it, things come together in that way. But the way it has to work for me, I have to give to heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Heart Meanders Magnetic<\/strong>
\nSpencer has been through much since The Dollhouse closed, but the critical years were those of the COVID-19 pandemic. These years inflicted acute trauma on nearly everyone, on nearly every level. \u201cIn my particular case, it was a very, very hard realization to see that half the people don\u2019t care about the other half of the people. And my spirit broke. I live for service and it really damaged me spiritually. Before the pandemic, people moved here to be connected, to slow down their lives and to give. And then it changed dramatically, and the change was so fast it sped up everything that happened in our world, in our community, and we didn\u2019t have the infrastructure. Our service workers are leaving. And to be honest, it\u2019s us, the face-running service workers of the community, we create the vibe of this town. We\u2019re the different that make it different, the kind that make it kind. If we lose all of us, there\u2019s nothing to offer except nature, which we didn\u2019t build in the first place. Our tapestry is unwoven. Anyone in this town that knows me will be surprised to hear that I couldn\u2019t hold a positive space. I could not do it. I was rocked.\u201d
\nCommunity was the first to suffer through isolation, polarization and misguided stances pressed by mainstream media. A confluence of events pressed Spencer. Her mother died on her birthday in December just before the pandemic and shortly after she had spinal surgery. Things were piling up. \u201cAfter that experience, what I needed was community members. I was working at the time during the pandemic and I just, I resigned. Too broken. I had a girlfriend call me. \u2018Come over to the Sawtooth Brewery, the tap room in Hailey. I\u2019m leaving. Come take this job.\u2019 I thought, no, I don\u2019t think I can do that job, I don\u2019t think this is what will heal me. She knows me very well. She said, \u201cNo, you\u2019re wrong, come down.\u201d I went and I sat there for about three hours. I had the best root beer and watched her work. And it happened, I got this great warm feeling. And I\u2019m realizing this is where the community hangs out, year-round. They want a family atmosphere to relax in. And I realized I can do this, I can be a part of this and I can heal. And I saw how much work they do in the community with Music in the Park in the summertime and a couple beer [sales] to charity, one being the Big Wood River Project. Things got better and better for me being surrounded by the community. It got me to this space where my heart is almost healed and I met the people who helped manifest the magic.\u201d
\nSpencer speaks with a heavy undertone of concern that sparkles with care.
\n\u2018I knew when I\u2019m ready it will happen. And it was Jed Lyttle, a fifth-generation Haileyite, a Realtor, who comes in for his weekly minute to himself, who said, \u201cLara, there\u2019s a sign!\u201d I ran across the street and the sign was down. Heartbroken. Two weeks later, he says, \u201cLara, there\u2019s that same sign again,\u201d so I ran over there and wrote the number on a Post-it note and later that night I sent a message. It was an owner who\u2019s been in the Valley for a very long time. He cares about the way our town is constructed, so that we don\u2019t lose any more history. He knew who I was. I wasn\u2019t the first in line but everyone fell out and this deal to rent the space was done with a handshake. He had faith in me.\u201d
\nExtolling the smoothness of the wheels that service-to-your-community keeps oiled, Spencer raps onward.
\n\u201cI called Darrel and people came out of the woodwork and said, \u201cI\u2019m going to support you the best I can.\u201d You know, like even bringing clothes in a bag because I\u2019m in consignment. But what made the most impact was that people were cheerleading for me to be my best self and several of these people had just moved to the Valley from California (Spencer stresses the syllables) but they were kind and they were physically contributing to the community. And that\u2019s when I realized, holy cow, I\u2019m here to say our community ISN\u2019T gone. I have to remind people! We didn\u2019t write the story about the hurt. How the pandemic affected the community. So you know, how do we fix what was broken, how do we get that back? We need to regroup and I\u2019m here to stand up and say, \u2018This is how you fix it.\u2019 How do you move forward and back at the same time? Watch me do this! I\u2019m going to move forward by building a business that gives back to the Valley. Not only am I going to move forward by building The Dollhouse again, I\u2019m going to roll it back at the same time. It\u2019s not Dollhouse 2.0. It\u2019s Dollhouse negative zero.<\/p>\n

Can You Hear Me Now?<\/strong>
\n\u201cI have a telephone, one line, with buttons. It doesn\u2019t have call waiting and there\u2019s an answering machine that you put a tape in. And the slowdown comes with things like that. I\u2019m going to make sure that we have eye contact and meaningful conversations happen because The Dollhouse offers a lot of pretty things but they\u2019re just a vehicle to get to a deeper subject matter. A lot of people can create a store but I\u2019m blessed with a gift that helps people feel intimately close to me and through the vehicle of fashion we get to talk about self-image, about feeling less-than at the job, and we get to talk about winning. You know, I wore this jacket you fit me in and got the job! Those are the conversations that lead to success for everyone. And if the people around me are successful, are healing, they\u2019re going to carry that message forward. That\u2019s the point. I care first about kindness and community and second about the money. That\u2019s a winning system in this community. So we\u2019re in the process of building something that\u2019s so needed now. Because of the pandemic onslaught, people need an extra way for a side hustle that\u2019s in town.\u201d
\nConsignment is something like a \u2018public goods\u2019; an inexhaustible resource inclusive to all. When community members, who care about local and care about community, have a means to generate income, within their community, they have a flexible resource to use and replenish for the benefit of all. It becomes a sort of mecca, stitching the fabric of the community back together.
\nAs Spencer says, \u201cConsignment is a very specialized niche in the retail world and it takes years to master it. You can\u2019t work at Nordstrom for 20 years, walk in and run a consignment store. It\u2019s super-hands-on and I failed a lot before I got really good at it. I\u2019m not an online seller. If I\u2019m selling to my community, my community should kinda walk in the door unless they\u2019re bedridden or need something special and then I\u2019ll drive to your house.
\n\u201cI\u2019m going to be able to bring things in, sell them, and then those checks will go out and pay someone\u2019s rent. Some of them will go into a savings account for someone in high school. I\u2019m able to make them more money than any store in this Valley or anything online.\u201d
\nThe Dollhouse will be directly across the street from The Attic. Spencer states that when she receives items that she can\u2019t sell, she\u2019ll be donating them directly to The Attic. \u201cBecause The Attic has proven what they do with that money. I\u2019ve watched them grow \u2013 the housing they provide, the services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Standards<\/strong>
\nSpencer was the very first consignment boutique in the Valley. In addition to sitting on the board of directors for The Advocates, she was also their keynote speaker. Community is in her DNA. She\u2019s mentored high school students who received credit for school through her programs, helped the Hailey Fire Department buy their first flagpole, and created a fundraising event for the art department at Wood River High School.
\n\u201cHow do we inspire others to a higher plane? Impact. It\u2019s all about impact, heartfelt impact. I have a trunk full of love letters from so many locals. People who know. They\u2019ll be able to come in and not be judged.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Love Letter to Community<\/strong>
\n\u201cDear Lara \u2013 Do you know what happens in your shop? Well, let me tell you. Spirit happens. Light happens. Empowerment, grace, beauty. Love happens in your shop. I\u2019m not sure one can accurately put a name to what happens at The Dollhouse, but I can tell you that people have a transformative experience there. You take such great care of the women. Truly great care from your heart. You exude the truest light, love & share it freely. You and The Dollhouse are an amazing gift to this Valley. Rock on! Doll #1 (A local shopper) from Spencer\u2019s collection of love letters to her and The Dollhouse.
\nSpencer\u2019s last ad for The Dollhouse had said, \u2018It\u2019s not goodbye, it\u2019s see you later.\u2019 A mock cover of Rolling Stone magazine \u2014 the ad was prescient. A true Phoenix, Spencer has arrived again.
\n\u201cEveryone matters. I don\u2019t know if I could have done it without the love of so many people saying, \u2018It\u2019s your time.\u2019 Energy is a real thing. The energy they\u2019re throwing at me actually matters.They were pushing the energy and giving me so much love, it manifested!\u201d
\n\u201cMy specialty is women and teen girls. It\u2019s my counseling ability. I relate to that, that\u2019s my background as a survivor of domestic violence and living through abuse. But the landscape has changed as far as gender roles and what it looks like now. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any other store open but The Dollhouse Consignment Boutique that is a gender-fluid recycled fashion house. That\u2019s what it is and I\u2019m proud to call it that. There will be signs in Spanish because that\u2019s important. It\u2019s about the confidence, it\u2019s not about the ego. I want to own it and set a new standard for what we do in this Valley and open up that mindset. I\u2019ll set the tone. The Dollhouse was always that. It\u2019s a mix of fashion and styles and purposes. Gender-fluid is so new in this Valley. I have a new construct.
\n\u201cI\u2019m going to take in women\u2019s sizes zero to 3X. I\u2019m trying to break down all these barriers. You know, junior cut girls size zero to thirteen. And this is a test because men wear their clothes out here in this Valley, so specifically men\u2019s cuts? I want graphic T-shirts, band T-shirts or something odd. I want hoodies, cowboy jeans and 501s because all of that can flex. If that works, we\u2019ll expand it. I\u2019m going to take feedback and we\u2019ll grow in the direction that works for the community.\u201d
\nFashion holds many keys. Uniforms, power suits, trending styles, club kid fits\u2014it takes a belief in oneself, not a selfish grasping, but genuine self-care, self-love and the desire to inspire others. Often the brightly dressed are judged as attention seeking and while that may be occasionally true, the inner confidence required to wear expressive clothing is an intentional gift to those who observe the wearer. It can be inspiring and at it\u2019s core is a type of service\u2014an energy exchange donated by the person gleefully wearing the outfit.
\n\u201cThis is about love. It\u2019s about loving your community enough to say, \u201cI\u2019m going to take a stand.\u2019 The pandemic broke me and I became bitter. I\u2019m not afraid of anything in this world but I was afraid to be bitter. It happened to me and I had to fight to get it out of my spirit. So how do I, now with a platform, help bring back our town? It\u2019s slowing things down, using a push-button telephone, making sure the interactions happen.\u201d
\nSpencer laughs and twirls the idea of putting a sticker up that says \u2018No Cellphones\u2019. She flinches at the idea of using Apple Pay because she wants to be able to look people in the eye, say thank you and continue the conversation.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s about the physical modeling. Welcome to The Dollhouse! Not allowing negative-image selftalk in the store, helping people switch their language and actually walking the walk. Giving clothing out to, of course, The Advocates, but I will support Mountain Humane because of the dogs and cats and animals! The women of this Valley who\u2019ve been here for decades, like myself, it is incumbent upon us to walk that walk and be grace. That\u2019s a huge word, grace. You know we lost the grace, the ability to be graceful for a little bit there. I know so many people that think it\u2019s gone. I\u2019m here to say \u2018NO, IT ISN\u2019T\u2019!
\nSpencer doesn\u2019t so much speak as sing the essence of community and the ability for solutions-based thinking. \u201cCommunity members whispered about the problems that arose from people who came here and didn\u2019t say \u2018on your left\u2019 or just push you out of the way, let their dogs go anywhere and not pick it up. People who don\u2019t understand how to live this way, in this community. The demoralization came because we whispered. I don\u2019t have to whisper anymore. This is a \u2018we\u2019 planet. We are the solution. We have been demoralized but we don\u2019t have to stay there!
\n\u201cI think The Dollhouse will have a community-standards board in the store so people understand \u201chow we live and why we live the way we do.\u201d Doing community our way. Yeah! I\u2019m gonna do that, oh my goodness!\u201d
\nThe time is now. Grand opening date will be advertised on Facebook and via press release.<\/p>\n

How to Consign at The Dollhouse<\/strong>
\nBeginning May 15, 2024, there will be an open dropbox any time between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday through the end of May. You can bring up to 30 items clean, folded in a garbage bag\u2014anything from jewelry to shoes to handbags to clothing.
\nIf you have any special needs (e.g: a late-night drop or otherwise) email Lara Spencer at thedollhouse5b@gmail.com
\nLara Spencer is a 5B OG, iykyk \u2013 a genuine Phoenix ready to rock the Valley wide awake and embroider the community with kindness and love.
\nAfter the month of May, The Dollhouse will be consignment by appointment only. Landline phone number to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lara Spencer Is Back BY ISAIAH FRIZZELL   The Dollhouse? Reopening? The historic, iconic, and sparkling little consignment store that could is back, full tilt. The enigmatic Lara Spencer is home again, bringing her visionary heart and a living lucid dream to the people of the Wood River Valley. At a new location in Hailey, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20844,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_pvb_checkbox_block_on_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,78,18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20842","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business-news","8":"category-hailey","9":"category-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20842"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20845,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20842\/revisions\/20845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/woodriverweekly.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}