When Chris Savage and her husband Ron moved to Clarkston in 1999, they looked for a house big enough for a population of nearly 2,000.
The couple purchased a house in Independence Township 50 percent larger than their old one in Wixom to accommodate Chris? doll and bear collection, which has grown to over 1,800.
‘Most people our age look to downsize, but we moved to a larger house to accommodate them all,? said Savage.
Dolls fill the living room, dining room and half the basement growing from an early passion for dolls.
‘I always played with dolls as a child and found a doll museum in the Blue Ridge Mountains and was impressed,? explained Savage who wanted to prove dolls were for more than little girls.
With an eclectic collection, Savage has numerous types of dolls made out of a variety of materials from different time periods and countries. Savage highlighted three major categories of dolls including antique, modern and contemporary.
‘I like the contemporary, but I have a little bit of everything,? said Savage.
Savage highlighted a contemporary craft doll made of tree fungus she found while traveling in Canada as the strangest of her collection. The oldest of the collection is an 1865 French antique from the time of Napoleon III she bought in Paris in 1986. The biggest doll, ‘Shelby,? a reproduction doll, registers in at 32 inches tall. Conversely, Savage purchased a half-inch jointed peg wooden doll, the smallest of her collection, in London.
While doll collecting plays an important role in her life, Savage wants others to be aware of the large doll-collecting culture which lured her to the hobby.
In the late 1960’s, Savage became a member of the Detroit Doll Collector’s Club. Attending a program at a library helped motivate Savage to purchase dolls and attend monthly meetings at the Detroit Historical Museum.
This past summer, Savage and about 1,500 other registered doll collectors attended a convention in Philadelphia hosted by the United Federation of Doll Clubs. Throughout the weeklong program, Savage attended seminars, workshops, sales room, exhibits and competitions.
Love for dolls is an interest Savage shares with some well known names from Hollywood. She said Richard Simmons, Demi Moore and Anne Rice are all doll collectors. According to Savage, Moore once purchased a house in Colorado just for her dolls.
‘I saw Demi Moore and Richard Simmons at a doll store that sold rare dolls that’s no longer there on Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield in 1994. Moore pulled up in her limo and we all had to wait in line, but she had someone standing in line for her,? said Savage.
Ironically enough, Demi Moore fell in love with and wanted to purchase a one-of-a-kind doll named ‘Medicine Woman,? which Savage had on layaway at the store. Savage said the owner of the store had to tell Moore the doll was already purchased.
With such a large collection, Savage admits the expansion of her hobby has slowed in recent years, but she still purchases dolls occasionally when she finds one she likes.
‘Your taste gets more expensive as you go. I remember I said once I’d never spend more than $100 on a doll. I don’t say that anymore,? said Savage. ‘You can spend $100,000 on an antique doll, but that’s ludicrous.?
Savage finds herself interested in more than just the doll’s appearance. She enjoys the history of the doll itself and the industry as a whole.
‘You can take the dolls of an era and learn a lot about the time, particularly the fashion,? said Savage.
In tracing through the history of materials used to make dolls, Savage notes dolls were made of wood for thousands of years. Paper Mach?, composition (sawdust and glue for example), wax, china, bisque, rubber, vinyl and other materials have all been used to make dolls.
Savage recalled the use of celluloid in the early 1900’s was stopped after the dolls were found to be dangerous. Gun powder used in producing the celluloid made the dolls highly flammable.
Besides the historical record of materials used to produce dolls, Savage enjoys the unique stories. ‘The Glove Marriage of Anneke van de Lijn? was made by artist Wendy Lawton to reflect the custom of ‘glove marriage? during the mid-1600’s. Savage explained how during ‘proxy marriages? of the day, the wealthy groom would send his glove in his place.
‘After the ceremony in church with the family and the glove standing in for the man, the girl packed up and was sent away to join her husband,? said Savage.
Outside of dolls, Savage has a very busy schedule. As an active member of the Clarkston Area Lions Club, which was chartered in April of 2005, she contributes to the community.
‘It’s a service organization to serve the community and that’s the overriding interest of many members,? said Savage who noted the wide age range and co-ed membership represent the changing face of the organization. ‘One objective is we want to develop synergy with other groups. We’re a member of the Chamber of Commerce? We feel it’s important to work together.?
While Savage does not work now, she spent 15 years working with mainframe computers to support college functions at Eastern Michigan University during the 60’s and 70’s. She also opened her own business, Computer Education Services, to train adults in computers.
‘It was interesting because at that time only the geeks were teaching computers and they talked about the guts of the machine? so I related to people and showed them what they needed to work with the computers,? said Savage.
After running CES, she worked for three years in the mid-90’s with Entex Corporation with application development on a part-time basis.
In 1998, Savage stopped working while looking for a house with her husband Ron.
‘I don’t prefer to use the word retired. I’m not retired, but I just left the paycheck world. I’m just as busy now and I just don’t get a paycheck,? said Savage.
Savage lives with her husband Ron in Independence Township. The Savages have been married for nearly 38 years and have daughters Sidney and Stephanie. Sidney and her husband Chris Inch have two daughters: Grace, 5, and Emily, 1. Stephanie is married to Dave Mroz.