Homes Are Where Her Heart Is
Margaret Magura Restores and Builds Dollhouses
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Photo by Allison Candreva
Gainesville resident, Margaret Magura, has restored 39 dollhouses in all, six of which she started from scratch.
Little houses all lined up in a row — shingles just right, walls painted to perfection. A veterinarian, a hospital and even a toy store, all painstakingly detailed by caring hands.
There are 39 houses in all, and even though Margaret Magura, 76, has made six of them from scratch, she said she prefers getting partially done ones.
In 1995, Gainesville resident Magura received her first dollhouse from her friend Angie Benton. After that, she started noticing houses at garage sales she goes to every Saturday.
"That's my middle name, Margaret "Junker" Magura," she said. "I see the sign, and I feel like they're inviting me."
She likes anything old, from sewing machines to full-size couches, and, of course, accessories for her houses.
"If I see something and I like it, I'll buy it," she said. "And, I always ask them for a story."
One of the houses she stumbled upon was about to be thrown into a dumpster in Massachusetts. About five years ago, she was visiting family when a man pulled up to the dumpster with a furnished dollhouse in the back of his truck. The man told her he was about to throw it out because his daughter was 19 years old and did not want it any more.
Magura said she was shocked and did not understand why he would not save it for his grandchildren.
"I don't understand why people throw them away," she said. "I look at dollhouses and see the work that's gone into them. Why would [people] want to throw them away?"
She offered to buy the house from him, but the man just gave it to her because he was throwing it out anyway. Not wanting to break it, Magura had her sister store the house until her brother-in-law could drive it to Florida.
Depending on what shape a dollhouse is in, Magura said she paints the walls, adds furniture sets or tacks on shingles. When she gets a house, she clears off the kitchen table and works on it for two to three weeks. She gets wallpaper from a sample book she got from her granddaughter, who works for Shannon Homes.
"She'll give me the books when they are ready to throw the old ones away," she said. "They have some nice quality samples."
Benton sews in her spare time, and she often brings bags of miniature pillows, mattresses, bedspreads and curtains to Magura's home to add to the dollhouses. Other than sewing, Benton also helps make tiny flowerpots for the windowsills.
Another one of her dollhouses, and possibly her favorite, is the Bordello, a box her son put partitions of wood in. A woman sits on a couch on the top floor, her silver hat lying on the table. It is a one of a kind, and Magura likes to call it "The Ladies of the Night." When she was working for the VA Hospital in downtown Gainesville, a man from work made her a wooden sign that hangs above the Bordello's front door with the words "The Golden Nugget" etched into it.
Although it has come up, Magura said she does not think about selling her houses.
"I work too hard to think about selling them," she said.
Magura said she does not spend a lot of money, but it does add up. She usually spends $5 here or $10. Adding in the time each house takes, restoring dollhouses could be considered an expensive hobby.
"I have paid $25 or $50 for a house," she said, "but I've also paid $3 for one."
Although she has agreed to selling houses a few times, Magura said she never does. She never plans on stopping, and always loves to show her houses to anyone who wants to see them. To see one of her creations, contact Magura at 352-332-1635. §
