Barbie takes center stage at Old & Brew
Jul. 18—A new collection of memorabilia transforms a Blakely coffee shop and vintage store into a Barbie Dreamhouse.
Displays, featuring approximately 150 to 200 dolls along with houses, cars, books, stickers and holiday ornaments, will take Barbie enthusiasts on a trip down memory lane.
The Barbie spotlight launches at 6 a.m. Wednesday at Old & Brew, 538 Main St., and co-owner Sarah Weber plans to add new items throughout the month.
"It's a little bit of everything Barbie I could possibly get my hands on," Weber said.
Barbie-mania swirls around the "Barbie" movie opening nationwide Friday. Local theaters start showing the film Thursday.
Weber, who grew up playing with Barbies in the 1990s with her aunt, Michele Walsh, immediately knew she wanted to showcase the cultural icon upon learning the movie would be released in the summer.
"The second I saw the first trailer, I knew I was going to do this when 'Barbie' came out," she said. "Originally, it was going to be a featured table with some Barbies from the 1980s and 1990s to create some nostalgia, but then I got the idea to do Barbie through the decades to show how Barbies evolved over the years."
The collection includes a variety of dolls from the 1960s through 2000, Weber said.
Weber began purchasing Barbie accessories around the beginning of the year from a variety of sources.
"I started by looking at different auctions and thrifting about six months ago," she said. "Some of it was found locally, some of it was from auction houses, and some through eBay and other places."
She feels people of all ages will appreciate the array of Barbie collectibles available for purchase in her shop.
"There's nothing like that feeling when you resonate with something and feel like a kid again," she said. "There's something special that happens here when someone sees something they had when they were growing up and another customer has that same emotion. It's a really nice way to see people bond."
Old & Brew will offer Barbie-themed drink specials — including iced coffee with a strawberry cold foam and sparkling pink sugar topping and pink and blue lemonade with a cotton candy topping — and Barbie-themed treats from Archbald-based Queen of Tarts Desserts.
Donna Groysman, owner of Queen of Tarts, enjoys collaborating with Weber on community events.
"Sarah opened right around the time I did, and we became fast friends because we're both women-owned businesses," she said.
Groysman also believes the Barbie displays will attract a wide variety of customers throughout the month with the new movie.
"Barbie has been an icon and represents all different types of women," she said.
Contact the writer: rtomkavage@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9131; @rtomkavage on Twitter.
