Through the Keyhole, a miniatures store located in Preston Hollow that specializes in dollhouse-making materials, is hosting a children’s contest Aug. 1-6.
This year’s contest features a dollhouse room box that is 10.25 inches deep by 12.25 inches wide by 9 inches high, which will be decorated by contestants to fit the Make Your Dream Room! theme.
Voters, who are encouraged to visit the store throughout the week and place a vote for their favorite room box, will choose the contest winner. The winner will be announced on the final day of the contest and receive a gift certificate to the store.
Family owned and operated for 38 years, Through the Keyhole, opened in 1974, is run by mother-and-daughter team Dorothy Harrison and Gayle Harrison Pompa. Now a part of the Preston Forest Shopping Center, Through the Keyhole originated in the historic Olla Podrida shopping center and spent 22 years there before opening its current location.
Through the Keyhole hosts an adult contest and children’s contest every summer. This year’s adult contest was hosted June 14-18 and had three contestants. The children’s contest will have two entries. Owner Gayle Harrison Pompa said this year brought an unusually small number of applicants and that past contests have had about 20 entries. She speculated that this summer’s extreme heat combined with the current state of the economy could be the cause of the contest’s limited participation.
In addition to the two annual contests, Through the Keyhole offers dollhouse-making classes throughout the year. Bluette Meloney, a leader in the miniature and decorating markets, will be teaching a class Aug. 9-13 at the store. Deb Reed will teach an electrical wiring class on Sept. 17.
Although Through the Keyhole caters to dollhouse designers and collectors, Pompa said a large percentage of their business comes from students looking for materials for school projects, such as dioramas, where miniature items are necessary.
Through the Keyhole is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 11700 Preston Rd.