WHAT A DOLL!
GOOD NEIGHBORS ON DELMARVA
By Lisa Spicer

Looking around Ann Byrd’s Snow Hill home you can’t help but notice a lot of eyes looking back. A couple thousand to be exact. They all belong to Ann’s passion.
Dolls. Big dolls, small dolls, boy and girl dolls. There are dolls that sit, stand and sleep. One thing they all have in common is that Ann could never part with them: "Never! Each one is special." Ann says her husband gave her her first doll, and
now there’s hardly room in their home for Ann or Mervin. "My first one was one my husband Mervin gave me, it was for Valentine’;s Day," she smiles. While Mervin may grumble about his wife’s incredible collection, Ann says he doesn’t really mind. "He’ll say a little something about all the boxes the dolls come in, then we go in a store and he says, ‘Hey honey, there are some gorgeous dolls here!’ So I have to look, and of course end up buying." Room after room of Ann’s home is filled with dolls. She says it’s a far cry from her childhood in Accomack County, which may be why she can’t say no to a new doll. "I think they’re pretty, but I really didn’t have any when I was growing up. I had one and my Mom would sew different clothes for it when she could." Times sure have changed for Ann. This mother of two boys and a girl says a shopping program on television got her hooked on dolls, "And we added that back room and it filled up fast!" Then came the internet. One son got her a computer, the other keeps it in working order and her daughter points out all the online auctions. "My daughter Nancy showed me how to bid." Now her grandchildren enjoy the collection too, telling Ann, "Grandma, I love all of them." Ann says she’s going to try to cut back on her doll collection but it will be hard. She is a collector from way back, even selling glassware and antiques at flea markets. She doesn’t do that anymore, but she may shop at flea markets. After all, you never know when a special doll may catch the eye of this good neighbor on Delmarva.