Doodlet's Welcomes New Owners!

Yes, it's true. As of December 31, 2024, Doodlet's entered a new era of owners. Myself (Savannah), my mother, Monica, and my sister, Hailee, are all Santa Fe natives who have grown up going to Doodlet's, fully understanding its special place in this beaautiful city. As a mother-

daughter trio, we knew this would be no small undertaking. Doodlet's origin is as one-of-a-kind as they come. Haven't heard it? Let's take a step back in time, allow me to share the magic that started 70 years ago.

It all began back in 1949 when one Theodora "Theo" Raven found herself, newly graduated from Santa Fe High School, working in a sandwich shop on Palace Ave. Going to work each day, she would pass a small retail shop owned by two women. Each time she would pass, she would see one of the women reading outside the shop, basking in the sun. Theo told herself how that must be a "terrific way to make a living." In 1955, Theo decided to do just that. She, with the help of her mother, Helene "Ma" Ruthling, used her college savings to buy the shop, renaming it Doodlet's Christmas Shop (Quick, 2010, SF New Mexican). The name Doodlet's was thoughtfully and lovingly curated from the nickname Will Shuster (creator of Zozobra) gave Ma - Doodle, thenceforth making Theo, Doodlet. A perfectly unique name for a perfectly unique shoppe.

In the beginning, Doodlet's quickly gained steam when Theo's creations, a collection of miniature handmade revolving Christmas trees, were noticed by Stanley Marcus. Marcus immediately wanted them for a shop you may be familiar with, the Neiman Marcus. The magic of the shoppe just grew from here. Over the years, the whimsy, magic, and uniqueness continued to grow, growing with the shoppe through it's move to 120 Don Gaspar Ave, Doodlet's home today (Quick, 2010, SF New Mexican).

For 58 years Theo Raven dedicated her life to Doodlet's, serving locals and tourists alike. She carefully curated a shoppe that offered something for any person in any walk of life. At the age of 79, Theo began to entertain the idea of selling Doodlet's, knowing it would need to go to a carefully picked individual, one who understood all that Doodlet's was, one who would dedicate all they had to continuing the magic. With a place as special as Doodlet's, Theo was facing many offers. However, she knew of only one who she believed would carry the name, whimsy, and magic onward. Lisa Young, a long-time Doodlet's shopper, visitor, and supporter was the perfect match. Lisa did something no one else had, she hand-wrote a letter to Theo explaining her hope to continue her legacy once she was ready to pass on the torch. It was this letter that sealed the deal, Theo was quoted saying that Lisa "touched [her] heartstrings" (Nott, 2019, SF New Mexican).

Lisa first became enthralled with Doodlet's at the young age of 10 years old. From the first time she entered the shoppe, she immediately felt a pull to it. As she grew, her relationship with Doodlet's did too. She attended the University of New Mexico and would spend many weekends in Santa Fe, never forgetting to stop in at Doodlet's. Lisa would always tell Theo "remember, I'll buy it if you ever choose to sell!" And she meant it! When Theo called, Lisa immediately agreed to purchase the shoppe. In 2010, Lisa and her husband Steve eagerly relocated to Santa Fe and began the journey to continue the legacy that Theo began.

In the same year that Doodlet's switched hands to the Youngs, Theo was named a Santa Fe Living Treasure for her "commitment to the community, her support of education and any animal-related non-profit or organization." Theo was also named the "unofficial greeter of Santa Fe" (Nott, 2019, SF New Mexican). On November 29, 2019, Santa Fe lost their greeter, Theo passed of natural causes in her sleep at the age of 88.

From 2010-2024, the Young family beautifully carried Theo & Ma's legacies, keeping their shoppe alive and thriving, even through the hardest of times. The Youngs endured government shut-downs, limited shoppe customer capacities (which any visitor of Doodlet's knows to be near impossible), unsteady economies, substantial product price increases, and so much more, all the while continuing to bring Doodlet's magic to its loyal customers. Whether it was via online ordering, phone ordering, or curbside pick-up, the Youngs managed to keep the magic alive in the most uncertain of times.

By mid 2024, the Youngs began to entertain the idea of selling the shoppe to new owners. After many conversations and dinners the Youngs agreed to selling it to our family. By the end of the year, we began preparing to embark on our next chapter as Doodlet's new owners, a mother-daughter trio dedicated to continue all that is Doodlet's. 2025 marked both a year of new ownership and 70 years of Doodlet's.

Born and raised New Mexicans, we knew the importance Doodlet's had within the community. My mom, Monica, was born into a hard-working, low-income family. She fondly remembers when her grandma would give her $0.15 to spend in the shoppe and that for her, although she was barely eight years old, the magic was unmistakeable. Growing up, her work history took her through town, from sales associate at Kinney Shoes, to housekeeper at the Eldorado Hotel, to working with A-1 Self Storage, where is a partner to this day, 31 years later.

As for myself and Hailee, going to school at Carlos Gilbert Elementary meant after-school trips to Doodlet's were always on the agenda. For both of us, working retail in Santa Fe is nothing new. One of our first jobs was at another Santa Fe staple, Tees & Skis on Washington Ave, right off the plaza. It was there that the booming Santa Fe retail industry captured our hearts.

After working at Tees & Skis, I finished my schooling with a Master's degree in English, American Literature from New Mexico Highlands University. I then taught English for three years in Las Vegas, NM at both Highlands University and Luna Community College.

As for Hailee, she worked extremely hard at her schooling and received two Bachelors degrees in Criminology and Spanish. She recently finished her schooling with her Master's in Criminology, also from NMHU.

For all three of us, working within our community has always been top priority. Thus began the search for something where we could land long-term. It's hard to believe the dream of something that involved retail + serving the community + family oriented would nearly fall into our laps. What place has all three of these things? Doodlet's, of course!

So it is here, in its 70th year that Doodlet's finds itself in the care of new ownership. From Ma & Theo, to Lisa & Steve, to now myself, Monica, & Hailee, the magic will live on. 11 months in and our mother-daughter trio has worked hard to keep Doodlet's up to the standard of its loyal customers.

Looking forward, we have a goal of continuing Doodlet's and its magic. We are working to maintain steadfast hearts, focusing on serving our community through various avenues. We hope to continue fostering a shoppe that Theo would be proud of.

One thing Theo noted when she retired was that she was looking forward to retirement because she absolutely loved to cook but never had much time to. I will use that knowledge to share a "Theo's Thursday Recipe" with you. While I cannot commit to a weekly Thursday recipe, I will commit to a recipe on Thursdays, both in honor of Theo and in hopes that maybe all of us may take a minute to slow life down and cook something new. Life goes so fast and sometimes you need a little Doodlet's magic to slow you down, a new recipe is just one of the ways we will use this platform to bring some magic to you you.

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading a little bit about Doodlet's and a little bit about us! We are excited for this new journey and know that with the help of both our wonderful staff and loyal customers, Doodlet's will be here for many more years. I look forward to using this blog to share recipes, gift guides, stories, and more.

Make sure to come stop in, we'd love to meet you!

Best,

Savannah