MOUNT VERNON — It is hard to miss the bright pink real-life Barbie dream house off Ohio 13 in Mount Vernon.
There, Melanie Mowery lives her dream with her brand new business, Melanie’s Barbie Collectibles & More Museum, right in her backyard.
The Knox County Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday to welcome the new business to Mount Vernon.
“I just always loved it [Barbie] since I was a little girl, I used to say I wanted them all,” Mowery said.
“My mom bought me my first holiday Barbie, and my family’s been buying them for me for Christmas every year.”
Mowery’s museum houses more than 2000 Barbies, from the original doll from 1959 to a Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl-themed cheerleader.
“The first issue is 1959, I have that one, and then I have the second issue, and it came out between 1959 and 1960,” Mowery said. “I have them in the vintage room.”
In total, Mowery has four different rooms inside her backyard museum, lined with cabinets filled to the brim with Barbies.
The new business will offer locals the chance to tour Mowery’s collection as well as book the party room for birthdays and other events.
“We’ll have birthday parties in this room, and eventually we’re going to probably try to do something once a month, and we’re going to have an interaction room,” Mowery said.
“We’re going to redo the walls [of the interaction room] and make it look like outdoor scenery with Harleys, a tractor and a Barbie car photo op.”
The museum is open Wednesdays through Saturdays. To learn more, check out Mowery’s Facebook page here.
