Teri Doggett has been in the business of creating original Santas, ranging from a few inches to life-size, for many years. Her enormously popular Santas have carried price tags of up to $10,000, for vintage look Santas designed for Neiman-Marcus window displays (see photo at left).
Unfortunately, Doggett says that the stress of meeting ever increasing product demand took away any enjoyment that might have come from a larger bank account and popularity. So she scaled back.
Now she runs her own business called TeriDolls, with the help of her business partner and daughter-in-law, Evangeline Doggett. They run their “factory” from one of their homes in Post, Texas – the bedrooms are used as sewing and cutting rooms, the kitchen is used to store trim and ribbons, and the laundry room is the resident wood shop. Doggett points out that “we do it all in Post; nothing is mass produced in China.”
Doggett previously created Santas for Boyd’s Bears and worked with a partner under the name J&T Designs and Imaginations. She says that life was too hectic then, so the partnership dissolved, but loyal collectors stayed in touch with her over the years.
TeriDolls’ elaborate Santas continue to be one-of-a-kind holiday artworks. Doggett does all of the work herself, except for the sewing. The costumes are designed by Doggett, but are sewn by Cathy Campbell and Vicki Blacklock. The seamstresses have been with the business for ten years and two years respectively and Doggett regularly introduces them as her friends.
The company’s vision today is to “stay small, stay manageable.” Current clients have agreed to accept whatever number of Santas Doggett can provide, and she only accepts the custom orders that she knows she can fill. Their creations can be made using reds and golds and purples by request and are guaranteed not to fall apart. TeriDolls’ beautiful collectibles can be found in homes and businesses across the country. To get your own limited edition work, visit their website at http://www.teridolls.com/.
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