Before buying this set, I had looked at the components and building instructions online, and therefore I knew that the base of the boutique was created from two rectangular baseplates. What I didn't realise, though, was that these two rectangular baseplates are much smaller than usual baseplates.
In the photograph below, you can see one of the boutique's baseplates (marked by the arrow) compared to 'regular' rectangular and square baseplates.
The use of these smaller baseplates in this set makes the Clothing Boutique much smaller than I expected. That was a surprise, but it's a fine building nonetheless, and reasonably straightforward to put together.
There is a nice sticker to fix to the interior-side of the dome, but that does make the dome suitable only for a clothing shop, so I didn't use it.
The changing room has exterior doors also - not to be used by shoplifters, but so that a child playing with this set can access the shopping klicky to change her outfit while she's in the changing room.
There's not really much option regarding where to place the furnishings etc - but if a representation of a clothes boutique is all that is required, this is certainly a much cheaper option than the 5485 Shopping Mall. And the counter is nice, especially with the computerised till, which can turn round on a swivelling base. The mannequins and their clothes are cool as well (especially that flowery hat). And I like the klickies, particularly the shaggy-red-haired one.
I already had the 5485 Furnished Shopping Mall - which I reviewed
here - and the instructions for the Clothing Boutique include how the boutique can be used as an extension for the Shopping Mall, so I made the addition to the Mall, as instructed.
I didn't like that at all. There's the original changing room, then another shop room, containing nothing but another changing room. I thought that it looked silly.
However, I adapted the extension. I took the wall (which has shelving on the other side) from behind the ATM....
Plus the wall (with unseen shelving also) from between the sports and clothing departments....
And remodelled the upstairs extension like this:
It all fits very nicely -
and eliminates that gap at the end of the wall which was previously there.
(I also tried changing the door around on the grey changing room, but it is not satisfactory; it won't really stay shut the 'wrong' way around.)
The front and rear steps to the original stand-alone Clothing Boutique were no longer in use.
But I figured that I could make them into a nice stand for the Mall's ice-cream seller.
There were still a lot of pieces left over though. I can always find a use for doors and walls and roof connectors and everything - but if I had bought this boutique set as a Shopping Mall add-on for a child only, I would be thinking, 'I've paid for all this - and it is not even used.' There is an alternative to this, however, and I'll mention that in my conclusion below.
I was very pleased with my rearranged extension. (And one of the shoppers was so amazed that she fainted.)
But .... I still didn't like the gap in the wall downstairs.
I couldn't see any obvious way to fill this gap using spare or removable components from the Boutique and Mall sets - the gap is an awkward size. I'm not sure there is anything one can easily do about it, if these are the only sets one has.
But
if one has other sets which include 'high' wall pieces, then one can use those to fill that gap.
It's a bit holey, but - here's a great thing - the Clothing Boutique/extension baseplates have holes along the sides. And this means that the shop can be extended using baseplates and walls from other sets.
Or, I could have included the 'leftover' shelves that I had.
I was so impressed by this ability to extend the building, that I have ordered the 6333 Extension for Furnished Shopping Mall (which also has side holes in the baseplates) from Direct Service, so that I can extend my Mall on the other side also.
And that brings me to my conclusion about the Clothing Boutique set.
I think that the boutique is worth buying if:
- You want a stand-alone simple clothing shop, or
- You want to use it as an extension to the Mall, and
also want the extra changing room, the extra counter, and the extra mannequins, or
- You want some extra walls and doors.
But if you want just a Mall extension, and don't want/need the extra 'boutique' items, or superfluous walls (and dome and doors and entrance steps) then it is far better value to buy the Extension from Direct Service.
I wanted
all that came with the Boutique, so I'm happy with that. But for 'just' an extension, I didn't buy another one. I paid nearly €60 (though could have purchased it online for €49,99) for the boutique - whereas the 6333 (unfurnished) Extension I've ordered is just €19,99. That's a big difference!
