Okay, the title is totally misleading. I still know very little about this house. But I’m hoping it’ll trick Google into leading others who have one here!
I bought my Hillside Victorian off Craigslist in March 2010 for $150. The couple I bought it from had purchased it a few years earlier from Shellie’s Mini Mania in San Carlos, CA. It was already assembled; they added the siding and shingles. According to the instructions that came with it, the house is signed and numbered (I haven’t found a signature or number on mine, though) and the manufacturer, MiniWright, was based in Simi, California.
After I posted about it on the Greenleaf forum, another member found the house in a 1979 miniatures catalog. Here’s the description:
Heirloom quality slant bay home features: authentic detailing, unique second floor, entry with 3″ base and side street stairs for hillside effect. Shingled, Queen Anne gabled roof; doublehung window treatment. The suggested floor plan defined by removable partitions includes: lower level maids’ quarters, bathroom. hallway, kitchen, and wine cellar/pantry. Main level includes: living and dining rooms (12″ ceilings). Third floor: spacious bedrooms.
The house is in the 2nd edition of the Miniatures Catalog copyright 1979 and the house sold for $450 and came unassembled.
She also sent me a couple of pictures out of the Miniatures Catalog 3rd edition, which didn’t include a price, but did include a bonus Country Victorian that looks very similar.
For a long time, that’s all I knew. Someone posted a comment on my blog that she had a MiniWright Mercantile, but when I emailed for more info I didn’t get a response. Then, in December 2011, a woman named Sheree got in touch to let me know that she’d recently bought a Hillside Victorian dollhouse just like mine but a bit farther along, also off Craigslist. Today she sent me a bunch of pictures and said I could post them.