The Dollhouse

On Route 28 in Kingston stands a quirky castle-like building, the Dollhouse.

Built in 1965 it was once a successful dollhouse business. Before its time as a dollhouse business, it was the home to the Snowflake Ski Shop by winter and an antique shop on the off season. It also has been a club known as the T.P. Lounge, and a tavern operating under the names of The Avalon and Ma Jones. It had a run as Stellar Beef, the largest meat distributor in the Hudson Valley serving all the major resorts in the region.

Some local lore claims it is haunted by Ma Jones herself.  The owners of the ski shop and their employees claimed to hear a woman calling their names and say hello. Although a myth persists, it was never a strip club or cathouse.  

The dollhouse business, and the name that still hangs on the facade, began when a couple bought it in 1979 and started the dollhouse and dollhouse accessory business. It closed some time in the mid 1990s. It has remained vacant since then.

The lot of land it sits upon was last sold in 2007 to a log home manufacturer who built a model log home across the lot from the Dollhouse. The iconic structure was left standing in hopes it could be rented and put back into use. Although it needs some restoration it remains structurally sound.  The entire lot is back up for sale. The beloved icon’s fate is in the hands of the next buyer. For now it stands as a charming relic of the Catskills past.

Update April 2018: The Dollhouse has been sold and is being remodeled.

Update February 2019: The building has been completely renovated. It still has the structure of the old doll house and the words “Doll House” on the facade, but it now houses a new business.