USA Desert Doll Collective (AZ BJD Community)

Hi there! Is there still a BJD community in Arizona, specifically in central Arizona? I've been out of touch with the larger community here for several years now, but would love to (re)connect with local hobbyists again. Thanks!

 

It is my curse.

 

@Kirakukami, what do you think of starting a community page here or maybe a Discord server?

 

Thank you for sharing this, @Gamma Ray!

 

Hello and welcome, @cjgoet! I would be open to getting a small meet-up arranged, if you and @Kirakukami are interested. I've connected with the local vinyl doll group, too, and I can check to see if it's alright for me to invite you to the Discord. Let me know what you'd prefer.

 

I sent you a DM with information about the Discord server.

Also, congratulations on your pregnancy! It's such an exciting journey, as is parenthood! Travelling definitely gets trickier as you get further along. We moved down to the valley when I was about 3 months from my estimated due date and while the ride wasn't terrible, it wasn't necessarily the most comfortable trip, lol.

 

My reply is long overdue to you, Zenno, and for that I'm truly sorry.

Finding community up in Yavapai County is tricky! I was up in Flagstaff for several years and had only met 2 doll hobbyists in the Yavapai County area. One was @Kirakukami because we were both attending NAU at the time.

The doll community in Arizona has always been kind of small, but I think many doll enthusiasts have either moved or fallen out of the hobby.

 

@nancy60304 @Sephora welcome, welcome! I'm sorry for not responding sooner!

It would be awesome to meet up! There hasn't been a meet-up planned yet for the month of June.

Would you like me to send you an invitation to the Discord server?

 

So I was a little bored and decided to generate some resin BJD group names.

• Desert Doll Collective
• Desert Doll Crew
• Resin Mirage
• Saguaro Souls BJD
• Sonoran Doll Squad
• Southwest Resin Society

Which one is your favorite?

 

Desert Doll Collective is a good, solid group name. Saguaro Souls is cute. Southwest Doll Society is also a good one.

Should I try for some more chill/relax vibes for a group name maybe?

I'm definitely for keeping indoors for a doll meetup in June. It's too hot to be outside. I'll take a look around and maybe we can aim for a cafe or something?

 

We could definitely plan for a meetup on a Saturday, or on a Sunday morning!

I'm located in Mesa. Maybe we could find somewhere middlish to meet? Maybe Tempe or somewhere in Phoenix?

 

Tempe does have some good hangout spots! I'm down for meeting in Mesa, too. There are some fun cafes and places here too.

Would June 21 or June 28 work for you better?

 

Awesome!

If you would like the opportunity to visit the Bookmans in Mesa, how about meeting at one of these cafes?

• Cha Tea in Mesa's Asian District
• Tastea in Mesa's Asian District
• Worth Takeaway in Downtown Mesa

I've not been to Cha Tea or Tastea, but I've heard good things. Worth Takeaway makes a delicious cold brew latte.

 

@Ephemeral_Dream I don't know anyone who runs a restringing service, but I do like to restring dolls and I'm happy to do it if you'd like.

 

I don't have experience with ID75, but I can read up, watch videos to learn how they're put together. I'm always happy to learn how to restring different dolls. I think it's fun.

 

Awesome! I'll take a look.

Denver Doll Emporium might be another option for elastic?

 

@Sephora @Ephemeral_Dream hello, hello! I am so sorry to ask this, but can we reschedule our meet-up to this Sunday (June 21) or Saturday, June 28? I completely forgot that my husband has an event this Saturday.

 

Thanks so much for your flexibility, Sephora!

Did any of the cafes catch your fancy?

 

@Sephora Yes, Sunday, June 22nd! Sorry for the confusion.

@Ephemeral_Dream Of course!

I'm excited to meet you both!

Sunday, June 22 at Tastea in Mesa at 11 AM - does that work for you two? (I did call to confirm Tastea was open on Sundays since their website didn't have Sundays listed on their open hours.)

 

We're in the same boat right now.

I've 3 dolls who are complete and ready to be seen:

• Castor (SD10 School C/DWC-01)
• Cheolmin (Switch Ryun:R on a SD17 body)
  
• Yeonghwa (MD Ryu on Little Monica 65 boy body)

Any preferences?

 

Okay I'll bring him and Castor because they're tied at the hip, lol.

Cheolmin's on an old SD17 Reisner body, so his body is yellower than his head

I also invited an old doll friend of mine. She's not active in the hobby anymore, but still has all of her dolls. She'll be bringing my favorite boy: A CP Chiwoo~

 

Excited to have you join us!

@Sephora Oh, I'm excited! I don't think I've ever seen a Yder in person before

Very excited to see and meet everyone Sunday!

 

No worries! We're just hanging out

 

No worries! We're definitely going to plan for a next time.

 

Hi everyone! Happy Sunday!

Let's see about getting a meet set up in August after Resin Rose!

Would we prefer a Saturday or a Sunday? And which weekend: August 22-23 or August 29-30?

 

Hi everyone! It looks like we've settled on meeting on Saturday, August 23, 12:00 PM at Changing Hands in Phoenix.

Hope to see you there!

 

No worries! We're planning a meet for next Saturday, probably somewhere in Mesa, but we're solidifying some details about the location. The one we were considering may not be able to accommodate us due to a monthly event they host.

 

Hello everyone!

I apologize for the relatively short notice of this, but we'll be having a doll meet this Saturday (November 22) at the Nile Coffee Shop in Downtown Mesa. We'll be meeting there at 11:00 and will likely be there for a few hours, knowing us.

We hope to see you there!

P.S. Our next meetup won't likely be until after Christmas as we try to meet on a bimonthly basis. If we decide to meet next month, I'll be sure to post about it!

 

Hi everyone! Happy Holidays~ We'll be looking to set up another doll meet likely in mid-late January. Hope everyone has a lovely holiday season!