Tall tales: Goddess of small things
Lucy Hunter Johnston has a shrinking feeling in Gospel Oak
Kristin Baybars' little shop of wonders lurks behind an unmarked door opposite Gospel Oak station. Lovers of the Lilliputian flock to this rabbit warren, packed floor to ceiling with beautifully crafted doll's house furniture and ancient, dusty toys. 'There is absolutely nothing that you can't make in miniature' is manic-haired Kristen's mantra. She tugs open overflowing drawers to show me an eccentric assortment of delicate objects, which she has been sourcing for over 30 years, all scrupulously categorised according to function. There are minute, working hand-whisks (yours for only £44), minuscule yarns of cotton (found in a surprisingly vast 'needlework' subsection), tiny cigarettes, and small jigsaw puzzles, painstakingly hand-carved by Kristen herself.
The shop is an homage to innocent fun and boasts numerous tiny 'show homes', decorated by her young visitors. 'David's House' (styled by a 14-year-old Irish boy) takes pride of place, and she proudly talks me through his beautiful assembly. A chandelier hangs over an ornate bathtub; she chuckles at the childish logic. 'You spend most of your time in the bathroom lying on your back, so you want something pretty to look at on the ceiling.'
Kristen herself is undoubtedly the main attraction of this tiny Aladdin's cave; a twinkly-eyed 70-something modern-day Geppetto, who is just as intriguing as the toys she makes. She is the daughter of the wood engraver Blair Hughes-Stanton, a close friend of the Sainsbury family who sponsored Kristen's education. Severely dyslexic, she hid herself away in the school woodwork studio, where she started building her first doll's house, a grand Georgian mansion, aged 15. It took her three years, but when it was finished the house was so beautiful that it was featured in the Essex County Standard and she became something of a local celebrity.
She went on to set up the first toy department in Heal's on Tottenham Court Road in 1954, before opening her own shop in 1973, where she has been hoarding tiny toys ever since. Some items clearly haven't moved since opening day, but Kristen's joy isn't in mass commercialism or even selling - she stubbornly refuses to take card payments because they support 'those terrible banks'. Instead, she delights in simple play. 'It's so lovely the way a child looks at things, so different from blooming grown-ups who are terribly conventional and so boring.'
Kristin Baybars' shop is at 7 Mansfield Road, NW3 (020 7267 0934)
