Startup Businesses: Organic Plant Nursery, Chinese Cooking Classes, and More

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PHOTOS: MOTHER EARTH NEWS STAFF
LEFT: A dollhouse  built by Sue and Bob Brooks. RIGHT: An Al Cornett art print.

The following are startup businesses that readers came up with after reading articles in MOTHER EARTH NEWS.

Making Dollhouses

Not long ago I began looking for a way to replace the salary I’d relinquished by giving up the nine-to-five grind… so my husband suggested that we take a look at some of MOTHER EARTH NEWS’ back issues.

There were a number of articles on woodworking, but Bob and I were particularly taken with several toymaking projects: “The Art of Making Wooden Toys,” “Old-Timey Toys From Christmas Past,” and “Old-Timey Wooden Playthings.”  In fact, my husband and I were so inspired with the idea of producing handmade toys that we promptly withdrew to our workshop and came up with a design for the construction of a dollhouse.

Bob already owned a table saw and a jigsaw, so the only tools we needed to buy were several paintbrushes and a utility knife. Next, we scrounged or–in a few cases–purchased an assortment of building and finishing materials (scrap lumber, nails, glass, fabric, paint, and accessories) … for a total investment of $15. Then Bob set to work creating the five-room structure (complete with movable windows, miniature wooden furniture, and a stone hearth made from pebbles)… and when he’d finished, I started working on the shingling and interior decorating. I painted, papered, arranged furniture, and added all the necessary trimmings (such as bathroom fixtures, kitchen appliances, accessories to complement the fireplace, wall hangings, floor coverings, and potted plants).

  • Published on May 1, 1980
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