Barbra Streisand Has an Entire Mall in Her Basement for Her Antiques
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Barbra Streisand is back in the spotlight—but not for a new chart-topping single or the recent release of her highly anticipated memoir, My Name Is Barbra. Rather, of all things, the internet is buzzing about...her basement. In honor of her new book, the Funny Girl star has been sharing looks at her Malibu home, which House Beautiful got to tour back in 1974. The reason the basement is getting all the attention is that it's no home gym, rec room, or James Brolin man cave. As befits a legend, Barbra's finished basement contains a full-fledged mall that exists, in part, to display her antique collection.
Streisand's at-home mall isn't exactly new information: The lore of the multi-hyphenate's decked-out basement has lived on for years. In fact, Ryan Murphy detailed his encounter with the Streisand shopping center to Vulture back in 2015 and claimed he "spent an hour down there." The Glee creator added, " I could write a whole book about that night."
Hearing about Streisand's basement is one thing. But seeing it play out on our screens? Well, it's so much better than we could possibly imagine. The lower level of her oceanfront mansion boast streets, old-school storefronts, and a sweets shop with a frozen yogurt machine. But it's her antique collection that makes this space sing. "I love to collect," she told Gayle King in a recent interview for CBS Mornings. "I love antiques."
In another recent interview with Stephen Colbert, The Way We Were actress gave a glimpse into her Gift Shoppe, which is filled with pink glassware, Christmas ornaments, and vintage children's shoes sourced from China.
But perhaps the most notable stop is Bee's Doll Shop, which Streisand built in part because she couldn't afford her own doll as a child. "I didn't have a doll, so I put hot water into a hot water bottle, which felt like a real person," she shared with King. Now, the funny lady has all the dolls she could dream of; the space is packed with everything from charming doll houses to French automatons dating back to the 19th century. Colbert naturally suggested that she should rename the shop "Hello, Dolly" after her starring roles in that film. (He also asked "do you know how many of them are haunted?" Sadly, Barbra did not.)
Streisand might have a makeshift mall in her basement, but that doesn't mean it's a free-for-all for her lucky guests. While her picks may be ageless and evergreen, the singer told Colbert they are also "very expensive." That said, we have no problem with window shopping.
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