Bunny Rogers sometimes holds back a doll or two, hoping they might

not sell in her shop there's still a lot of "little girl" in her.

"I sometimes say to people, 'Buy a doll for your little girl or the little

girl in you,' so I guess I have a lifelong interest in dolls," said the owner of

The Good Bunny Doll Shop in Fayetteville.

She said the shop, just over a year old, is "the only specialty doll

shop south of Marietta." Because she "kept seeing people from the southside

at the shops on the north side of Atlanta," she decided to turn her hobby into

a business. So far the shop has done well, and Rogers said she is

better prepared for this Christmas season than she was after opening in

October 1997.

Her selection of dolls, bears, assorted fuzzy things and

actual "work of art" creations (like the Lynn Haney Santas) is so

varied that "now I see people from the northside coming down here

to shop; that's a good feeling." Doll collectors may be

eclectic or particular about their selections, so Rogers tries to

have something for everyone.

Best of all, she said, she likes the several lines of "play

dolls" for little girls who want their virtual reality in a lovable

form they can carry, change, wash, dress, snuggle and nap with.

For younger girls there are the babies, most dressed in

pajamas and rompers and equipped with pacifiers and rattles. The

Lee Middleton babies are even weighted to feel and flop

like newborns.

For the older girls, The Good Bunny carries the "Magic

Attic Club," available in very few places in the Atlanta

area, Rogers says. Also available are The American Girl dolls, a

bit more expensive than Magic Attic's series, and the

classic, Mattel's Barbie Collectibles. The elusive "NASCAR

Barbie" is in good supply at the shop.

There's even an Elvis Presley doll that looks like Elvis, and

a Susan Lucci clone, dolled up like the actress's

soap-opera character "Erika Kane." Bears and bunnies abound, alongside

a few lambs, movie character dolls (like Mulan),

traditionals like Raggedy Ann and Andy and the hapless Pooh

and friends.

Some other notable designers' works in stock at The

Good Bunny include those by Madame Alexander,

Annette Himstedt, Raikes Bears, Steiff, Julie Good-Kruger,

Dakin, Wendy Lofton and Corolle.

Rogers says one of the shop's more popular items is

the $19.99 Dakin "Lovie," a combination stuffed doll

and/or security blanket. The "Lovies" come in bears, bunnies

or Precious Moments cuties, all as soft as a "comfort toy" can be.

Small dolls and animals sell for as little as $2 in the

shop, but the ones aimed at the grown-ups who have the

time, space and money for collecting can range in the

thousands. Many have real human hair, lifelike eyes, proportional

arms and legs and accurate skin colors. Most of the

"series" dolls do come in several ethnic varieties, Rogers said.

Since her husband created a website for her,

www.goodbunnydollshop.com, Rogers is shipping her

little ones all over the world.

The doll "under the counter" at the moment is a

Sonya Hartman creation called "The Rabbit Lover," made in

Germany. She's holding a bunny, and has a teddy bear

also holding a bunny. The hand-knitted cashmere caps on

the doll and teddy bear have bunny ears.

"This one is just so special," said Rogers. "But almost

every one I sell I keep thinking, 'Oh, that was the one I was going

to keep.'"

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