A visit to the Carmel Doll Shop and Grovian Museum in Pacific Grove is a magical experience. A sense of wonderment is evoked by the incredibly captivating displays of antique dolls, toys and accessories found in the beautifully restored Angwin building on Forest Avenue. Rarities abound in the collection that Michael Canadas and David Robinson—two of the most charming and engaging men you’ll ever meet—have amassed over decades of doing business. Founded in 1989 in Carmel-by-the-Sea, the business attracts collectors the world over.
A pair with a long history by the bay, both Canadas and Robinson enjoyed imaginative childhoods on the Monterey Peninsula. A native of Carmel Valley, Canadas attended Tularcitos School and Carmel High. His mother was the proprietor of Charlyne’s Eggs and Things, a popular restaurant in Mid Valley where he spent much of his time as a youngster. Robinson moved to the peninsula from Illinois as a child and attended Thomas O. Larkin Elementary and Monterey High. The two met as young men and soon found they shared an interest in antiques. Together they attended auctions at La Porte’s in New Monterey, buying antique furniture which Robinson had a knack for restoring. After selling pieces through a friend’s antique store in Salinas, the two decided to hang out their own shingle and opened an antique store on Lighthouse Avenue in New Monterey in 1985. The shop carried a variety of antiques, including an assortment of dolls. In 1989, they moved to Carmel, taking over an existing doll shop where their offerings expanded to include a doll and toy hospital with Canadas as the chief physician. In Carmel, the shop gained a loyal clientele, including such notable celebrities as Barbra Streisand, who became a faithful customer and long-time friend, and Kim Novak, who had been a regular at Charlyne’s Eggs and Things during Canadas’ childhood and first visited the shop when her beloved teddy bear needed attention.
After 20 years and two Carmel locations, Canadas and Robinson acquired the historic Angwin Building in Pacific Grove in 2009. A two-year renovation—”From the foundation to the roof and every system and surface in between,” shares Canadas—brought it from a state of severe disrepair to a flawless and historically sensitive completion and earned the pair a Pacific Grove Heritage Society Award and Heritage House designation in 2014. The result is a beautiful, welcoming space full of wonder and whimsy.
To be clear, The Carmel Doll Shop is much more than a “shop” it is a wonderland of delightful displays featuring some of the most valuable dolls ever made. Inside, you’ll also find the Grovian Museum, which houses incredible rarities from the personal collection of Canadas and Robinson. The collection represents many countries and eras, with pristine dolls from the most important makers.
An important resource in the doll community, the shop also doubles as an event space, hosting meetings and workshops that attract collectors from around the world. Many are open to the public and information can be found on their website and social media platforms. Canadas is passionate about sharing information: “Educating is so important…sharing information. New collectors of all ages and young collectors—which we are seeing more of—give [collecting] vitality.”
And to serve those collectors beyond the peninsula, Carmel Doll Shop has created multiple online resources, including a site specifically for doll couture, which is Canadas’ specialty. Their online presence also includes a YouTube channel (@MichaelCanadas) which has thousands of followers and hundreds of educational videos, which are fun and engaging regardless of your knowledge of dolls or collecting.
But the Angwin Building holds yet another claim to fame. In addition to housing dolls, it houses a handful of ghosts—three to be exact. According to Canadas, the ghosts are friendly and even protective of the owners and their collection. But the haunting has been significant enough to attract the interest of ghost hunters, including the Discovery+ show “Ghost Adventures.” The spirits’ most recent hijinks is setting off alarms and turning on and off various lights throughout the building—even in the presence of the police—but Canadas seems only slightly bothered by the inconveniences and doesn’t mind sharing the space with its other-worldly inhabitants, “I just wish they wouldn’t keep getting us out of bed in the middle of the night!” he laughs.
But hunting for dolls rather than ghosts at this special place is far more worthwhile and rewarding and, whether you are a seasoned collector or a young novice, the Carmel Doll Shop is a place you will find a friend in the sometimes serious but always whimsical world of dolls.
Open by appointment, Carmel Doll Shop and Grovian Doll Museum is located at 213 Forest Avenue in Pacific Grove. For more information, visit www.carmeldollshop.com, @carmeldollshop on Instagram or call 831/643-1902.