averyfinewoman Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 Hi Genevieve! yes we are talking about the same lady! Liz and I have worked together on some things, and my Ron Clanton emporium came from the same estate as your Elliot Bay house. We have all loved that house and if I had anywhere to put it I would have grabbed it up. I'm so glad you're getting it and it is beautifully finished and of course so well made. Good luck and have fun personalizing it when it gets to you. Let us know how it turns out! Suzi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genevieve A Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 Suzi!!! So so happy you wrote back, I was worried you’d never see my message...well the house arrived yesterday, and I take it you have seen it personally? Words cannot describe this house, its not only huge but absolutely breathtaking! I can’t stop looking at it. It must have taken years to build, I have never seen a dollhouse so lifelike and intricate before. Its a very interesting story how I “met’ Liz. I reside in Greece during the winter months and one night, as I was enduring a red-eye all nighter while caring for my terminally ill grandmother in the hospital, I stumble upon Liz and her estate sale of dollhouses. That was back in January and she graciously kept it throughout the entire Covid crisis until I was ready to come back home.I already own seven Greenleaf and three Lawbres and The Elliot Bay immediately caught my eye. I kept pacing the hospital so excited and the prospect of actually owning it made the entire ordeal easier. After eight months of taking care of my grandmother, her passing, and Covid restrictions, I finally have it!!!! But seeing it in a picture and actually seeing it 3 d is a different realm altogether. I have to see if the lighting is intact and re-pack it again for the trip to Greece where it will be the pride and joy of the entire residence (besides my lovely ten year old daughter of course!) I am absolutely thrilled with it! Please post interior pics of your own when you get a chance. Are you on any facebook dollhouse sites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1martinimomma Posted January 23, 2021 Share Posted January 23, 2021 (edited) I am jumping in here a little on the conversation, but would like to add some information. I own two Clell Boyce houses, both bought in Texas. The first one, The Elliott Bay house is stamped with the Victorian Times stamp with initials CGB and dated 6/1/80 in the center. So, according to Mrs. Boyce time frame of Mr. Boyce's building of his houses this one is one he built. It's interesting because I bought this house as a shell, and it does not have the bath room on the right of the house and the pantry on the left. It appears they were never part of the house. Maybe, this house was a custom order with those two structures excluded from the original plans. The other house is the Lacamas Lake House. As Emily stated earlier, the house is signed by the Raglands, it's dated 5/29/1995 and has the exact same Victorian Times stamp as the Elliot Bay house, without Mr. Boyce's initials. I received the catalog mentioned earlier from the lady I bought it from. I am just wondering if the Clell Boyce rights were sold to the Ragland's from Mr. Clanton since this house was built 15 years later after Mr. Boyce sold his rights to Mr. Clanton. Although the catalog is dated from 1982 they may have also acquired the catalog when they bought the rights. I am so hoping the Ragland's did not illegally build Mr. Boyce's houses. I am going to do some more research on this matter as I hope I don't own a pirated Lacamas Lake House. Here is the stamp on the bottom of the Elliott Bay. Edited January 23, 2021 by 1martinimomma 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Clanton Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 On 8/7/2019 at 9:07 AM, averyfinewoman said: I really appreciate all the info and research from all of you. It’s even more interesting now than ever. As for this emporium, it is quite beautiful. Every store floor is inlaid. The outside entrance goes to every store and is completely finished although it never gets seen. Really amazing workmanship! Would have loved to meet some of these craftsman. Thanks again for the help! My dad owned Victorian Times from the mud 80s to mid 90s email me if you have questions 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Hi Aaron, thanks for posting! I deleted your email address since posting it publicly could expose you to spam, but people can contact you through the private message system here on the forum. A lot of us love the Victorian Times houses and a few people here have been lucky enough find them, so I'm sure people will have questions for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kbonno Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 Hi. Does anyone have any information about the Cook House by this company? We’re they all signed and prebuilt or were some kits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 Karen, did you look at the catalog linked earlier in this thread? The Cook House is in there along with info about the house the dollhouse was based on. My understanding is that these houses always came as prebuilt shells, not kits. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kbonno Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 (edited) Yes I did. I have an opportunity to buy one and this thread is all I could find about the company. Very helpful! The lady thinks it is from the mid 90s but has never looked at the bottom to see if it is stamped or signed. Edited August 27, 2021 by Kbonno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellender Wright Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 Hi Aaron, I have what I believe to be a signed Engel dollhouse by Clell Boyce, however after seeing your post and the date your father bought the dollhouse company, I believe my house may not have been signed by Mr. Boyce, the date is in the year of 1991. Could you please share your thoughts on this? Also, would you by chance happen to know how the chimneys were built? I am wondering if you have some clear photos or perhaps the instructions on how they are made. Thank you in advance for your thoughts. Sincerely Rita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 Rita, you should send @Aaron Clantona private message since he doesn't visit the forum regularly. Click here to go to his profile, and then click the Message button. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sallyboyce Posted February 2, 2023 Share Posted February 2, 2023 (edited) My late husband, Clell Boyce, designed and built the Joseph Angel, Lacamas Lake, Elliot Bay, Josiah Golden and many more miniature houses over his lifetime. Before he retired, he sold several of the templates to Ron Clanton, who then put out his own version claiming them of his own design. Although he had permission to build them, he had no part of designing them and not sure today if he even owns copyrights to the ones Clell sold him. I would have to go through the contract to confirm that. I do not believe Mr. Clanton’s work ever came close to the quality and perfection level that were the originals designed and built by Clell Boyce. Originals should be signed on the bottom ( unless they were early pre-1982). Clell started building dollhouses in late 1970’s/early 80’s as Victorian Times Miniatures and continued off and on through 1990’s. Later named the company Smallville USA and finally Clell Boyce Design. “Someone” in California plagiarized our ENTIRE Victorian Times catalog at some point (not sure who) but essentially tried to take credit for Clell’s life work. Maybe the person who bought it from Ron Clanton (logical guess?) Sally Boyce Edited February 2, 2023 by Sallyboyce 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
averyfinewoman Posted February 2, 2023 Author Share Posted February 2, 2023 Dear Mrs. Boyce, Thank you so much for the information you have given all of us on our houses. I think I started this post looking for info on my emporium, but have since found out so much more, and so interesting and helpful to all of us that have these special houses. My emporium was indeed built by Ron Clanton. I have been in contact with Aaron Clanton who remembers it being built and had helped his dad with it. The workmanship on it is amazing! That said…I have seen one of Clell Boyce houses (Elliot Bay), and it was so beautifully well made. As I had said before to the new owner, I couldn’t have let it go if I would have had room for it. My husband was a contractor and I helped him with projects so I have some limited knowledge of real house building. Anyway, because if that, I seem to look more at actual carpentry/construction than many people. I had honestly never seen a miniature house that well made. It was an inspiration to me to do better. Maybe that sounds silly, but I have always loved true craftsmanship in all things. The time, skill, and love that goes into it. It is an art and your husband was truly a master of his craft. I am very sorry to hear about his work being plagiarized but happy to have more knowledge on identifying his work. Although I do believe the quality of it is pretty obvious when looking at them! Thank you again for the information you shared with us. Suzi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 (edited) At one time someone in Seattle had a Joseph Angel house for sale. I couldn't get it at the time but I did question his ad. He said it had been built from a kit. I told him there were no kits of these houses but he insisted it was a kit. So...I don't know. It's possible the house was broken down in some way. I had an Elliot Bay that I bought in pieces, but it was obviously previously put together with HUUUUGE staples.. And when Lisa and I (cringe) had to take apart that Joseph Angel house to get it into my car, we found that it had been put together with HUUUUGE staples as well. My hands still hurt thinking about pulling them all out, which I had to do because I couldn't staple the house back together. Edited to add: I want a Lacamas Lake house so bad it hurts. If anyone ever finds one, let me know. If you don't grab it first, that is. lol Edited February 5, 2023 by rodentraiser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sallyboyce Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 Clell “may” have sold houses in kit form if someone specifically asked for it that way. But it was very rare, he almost always fully built his houses out. As far as I can remember, he used wood glue and a pin nailer and never huge staples. His houses are known for being high quality, perfect in measurement and construction - he was an absolute perfectionist. I may have the Lacamas Lake template in the top of his shop along with all the others templates he stowed up there about 20 years ago. If I find it, I will have our kids bring it down and see if it’s all there. It would be wonderful if we could find someone who could make a few more (I would also love a Lacamas Lake house, as we did not end up keeping any of the doll houses he built! And yes, I still find this unbelievable since he built hundreds over the years. You know LL house is half inch scale right? After my last post, I went on eBay and found a Nutshell News July 1982 edition for $2 - it arrived yesterday. Sally Boyce 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Welcome to the forum, Sally! Thanks so much for sharing these details with us. 3 hours ago, rodentraiser said: Edited to add: I want a Lacamas Lake house so bad it hurts. If anyone ever finds one, let me know. If you don't grab it first, that is. lol If it's the half scale version, you'll have to fight me for it! 1 hour ago, Sallyboyce said: You know LL house is half inch scale right? After my last post, I went on eBay and found a Nutshell News July 1982 edition for $2 - it arrived yesterday. The one in Nutshell News is half scale, but a few of our members have been lucky enough to score the LL in 1:12 scale. (Those might not have been built by Clell, but I think I remember the 1982 NN article mentioning that the house was available in both scales? I don't have it nearby to check.) Half scale versions of the Joseph Angel house have popped up on eBay a couple of times and I sorely regret not bidding on them. They're definitely rare compared to the 1:12 houses, which are rare to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 On 2/5/2023 at 3:08 PM, Sallyboyce said: Clell “may” have sold houses in kit form if someone specifically asked for it that way. But it was very rare, he almost always fully built his houses out. As far as I can remember, he used wood glue and a pin nailer and never huge staples. His houses are known for being high quality, perfect in measurement and construction - he was an absolute perfectionist. I may have the Lacamas Lake template in the top of his shop along with all the others templates he stowed up there about 20 years ago. If I find it, I will have our kids bring it down and see if it’s all there. It would be wonderful if we could find someone who could make a few more (I would also love a Lacamas Lake house, as we did not end up keeping any of the doll houses he built! And yes, I still find this unbelievable since he built hundreds over the years. You know LL house is half inch scale right? After my last post, I went on eBay and found a Nutshell News July 1982 edition for $2 - it arrived yesterday. Sally Boyce What is a pin nailer? I didn't actually think those were staples, although they sort of looked like them. I know once I had them all out, the houses went back together like a dream, although I had to use brads. So yeah, their quality was unparalleled. I'm sure I've seen the Lacamas Lake house in 1" size. That would be what I'm looking for, so fov, you don't have to fight me for anything. Someone on Craig's List has a small house for sale and it looked a lot like the Victorian Times houses. I think I'll contact them just to see if it's signed on the bottom. I remember that Nutshell News with the 1/2" scale Lacamas Lake house. It was on the cover with fireworks. I think the house was painted red. To die for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniElle Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 Please don't fight me for it (I'm not very strong), but I got a Lacamas Lake house a few months ago ;-). Mine is a 1" scale. I found it from a FB marketplace post from this forum. It has been signed, but I'm sure Sally can tell me whether or not is Clell Boyce's signature. My apologies if it is not his, but it is very well made. It is safely in storage, covered, and checked on monthly. I'm currently working on the beautiful Joseph Angel, but the Lake House is next. Mrs.Boyce, I just want to say that I love Clell's work. I ordered a Victorian Times catalog (which I still have) when I was a kid and I used to dream of owning one (Lacamas Lake House and Joseph Angel were my faves). Now, I feel like I hit the lottery by getting 2 of his houses in 1 year. I treasure them both and I sometimes feel like I have to live up to the beauty of the houses when I'm working on them 😉. I'm sure you know the impact that he has made on many of us in this community, but I'm hoping it's nice to hear again. Here are some pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted March 20, 2023 Share Posted March 20, 2023 Wouldn't you know, there was a 1:12 Lacamas Lake house for sale at the Seattle Miniature Show a couple weeks ago. And I missed it. It was $800, finished inside and out and electrified. I have no idea if it came furnished. If it didn't sell, it will probably be in the Portland show in October. I guess I could either afford the house or buy food. By October, if the house is still available, $800 will probably be one week's worth of groceries at Safeway. LOL Actually, maybe not LOL. That's probably too real to be funny. Anyhoo, now I'm wondering if I can turn my little Simplicity dollhouse with the two additions into a sort of Lacamas Lake house, small version... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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