Jan McLean Dolls

Jan and Dorothy are now in Rostov-On-Don preparing the 4 dolls for exhibition at the Russian Beauty Pageant on Friday 12th September. This is an exclusive event and Jan, Dorothy and old time friend and doll artist Brigitte Duval will be attending as VIP guests along with the Rostov-On-Don region Minister of Education is Guskov Igor Alexandrovich.
Each of the four dolls are one of a kind and one will be auctioned on the night at the gala to raise funds for a local charity.
Jan & Dorothy have spent the last week in Shanghai attending some business meetings, then a bit of R&R and sightseeing of the fantastic exotic cities of Moscow and St. Peterburg. Everyday has been a full day of walking, sightseeing and enjoying some local entertainment at the ballet or opera. Now they have a few days to rest their weary feet, pamper themselves for the gala event tomorrow night and recharge for the rest of their trip, which will see them visit Budapest, Prague, Tuscany, Rotterdam and finally San Fransisco before touching back down in New Zealand.

The destination store, Jan McLean Originals, based at 494 George Street, Dunedin has attracted many visitors since it first opened its doors on 14th November 1996. It has been a place for locals to pop in for a viewing of the dolls and a friendly chat with shop Manager Dawn Arnott. The iconic shop has attracted many International tourists and fans from around the globe, some passing by on foot and others with a planned stop at Jan’s shop on their travels around New Zealand.
Many laughs have been shared at Jan McLean Original and it was with a heavy heart that we carefully packed up the dolls and closed the shop doors on Saturday 6th September 2008.
The wonderful and eye catching window displays done by Liz Neville, of Dunedin (who is also one of Jan’s close friends) has drawn so many people into our shop who have been amazed by Jan’s beautiful creations and  become some of our avid collectors and fans.
Our Jan McLean Original shop has not only been a retail shop but also a wonderful gallery for Jan to display her creations and for people to come by and see the masterpieces as well as social network of local friends and retuning International visitors for Dawn and the rest of the staff at Jan McLean Designs.
Jan has been very busy juggling all her passions this year – JMDdoll making, Lollipopgirl brand, and most recently sustainable living and planning a good life by the beach. Aside from being creative, Jan would also like to hold cooking classes at her holiday home on the beach; make cheese and run a local farmer’s market. As a result she has been rushed of her feet, flying out the door at the last minute with not enough hours in the day to achieve it all.
After many sleepless nights trying to find the answer Jan has decided to downsize the business and take a year out to focus on the Lollipopgirl girl and her other passions. The shop’s lease came to an end in September this year and this helped Jan in her decision to downsize the business and close the doors of her shop.
We will still be operating business from our studio in Dunedin , but on a smaller scale. As always we love hearing from our fans, admirers and collectors, so please feel free to contact us on email info@janmcleandolls.com or our guestbook on our website.

This year has been a busy one for Jan with her attending various Doll Shows; doll galleries, and designing new collections.
Jan loves to travel around and meet some of her collectors in person as well as catch up with old friends. Jan and the team are preparing for her trip to R
ussia to attend  the “Beauty of Russia” pageant as VIP guests. Jan has designed an exclusive one-of-a-kind doll which will be auctioned for a charity for children in an orphanage in Rostov-on-Don. The Russian Minister of Culture will also be attending the event. So a very exciting event for Jan and Dorothy (who is joining her on this month long trip) . Some of her other dolls and other one-of-a-kind dolls will also be on display at a Doll gallery in Rostov-On Don province. 
See below local Dunedin newspaper article  about Jan’s trip with the dolls to Russia and Europe as well as news about the Portobello Farmer’s Market that she is starting in November this year.