SHAWNEE, Kan. — It's never too early to start your holiday shopping. If a doll is on your list, one local couple has something that will pair perfectly, and it might also make you the best gift-giver this season.
John Hember has been a carpenter for nearly 60 years.
"Love working with wood, love creating things," said Hember.
After he and his wife Gloria retired from Hallmark, they haven't caught much of a break. What was once a hobby has now turned into a full-time business.
"It gets busy, it gets hectic, but it's still the most fun I've ever had doing anything," said John Hember.
Seven years ago, the couple watched the American Girl store go up at Oak Park Mall.
"I said to John, ‘If that business goes in, that is going to be great for every doll shop in Kansas City and you make the best doll furniture there is so we need to get busy,’” said Gloria Hember.
So they did, transforming their home into a workshop where they create custom doll furniture. Their business is called Beds and Threads.
"John and I put our heart and soul into it," said Gloria Hember.
Working more than they did before retirement, the couple said they'll do anything to spread some Christmas cheer.
"If we have to drive it there ourselves on Christmas Eve, nobody that orders from us will not get their order," Gloria Hember said.
So, it's back to work they go as the orders are piling up. This holiday season, they expect to sell hundreds of furniture sets, reaching nearly 4,000 since they first started their business.
This Saturday and Sunday, if you want to check something off your holiday shopping list, Beds and Threads is hosting its first open house in 7 years.
You can check doll furniture, place your order, or purchase on the spot.
The open house will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 5619 Widmer Road in Shawnee, Kansas.
