Folk studies specialist and dollmaker Anahit Atoyan opened a unique souvenir shop inside an abandoned bus near the Hovhannes Tumanyan House Museum in Dsegh, Armenia. Here, she sells Armenian cultural dolls that she made herself. Dolls of Hovhannes Tumanyan, Komitas, Kaj Nazar, Anush, and other characters are displayed throughout the shop.
The folk studies specialist said that she randomly came up with the idea to open a store. Atoyan has been making dolls from a very young age, so she recently decided to start selling them. The presence of Komitas and Hovhannes Tumanyan could be felt in this bus-shop in honor of their 150th birthdays. Either Komitas or Sos Sargsyan’s performances of Tumanyan’s works can be heard on the shop’s radio.
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Anahit Atoyan said that tourists frequently come to the shop. “For example, the Lithuanian ambassador recently came here with her family. They bought dolls of Komitas and Anush. The ambassador even sang Komitas, which made me emotional,” Atoyan said. She added that people frequently take pictures with the dolls of Komitas and Tumanyan, which makes them emotional.
She told Aravot Daily that it takes one week to make one doll, but it takes even longer to make larger dolls. Atoyan said that she becomes emotional after making every doll because it seems like she puts souls into their bodies. Unlike the smaller dolls, the large dolls are not for sale, because Anahit Atoyan believes that they are priceless.
Gohar Hakobyan
Photos by Narek Avagyan
