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DENVER -- The rising cost of living in our growing Colorado has forced many long-time Denver businesses and residents out, no longer able to afford the city's skyrocketing home and rent prices.
The most recent loss is a loss of history.
Denver's Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toysofficially closed its doors this week and the museum's board said they are now left with an uncertain future.
"Denver's market, all of us who live here know, is just astronomical. A million dollars does not buy very much," said Judi Hamilton, the board's vice president.
Movers loaded up hundreds of antique dollhouses and bases outside the museum's location in Denver's Uptown neighborhood Wednesday. Hamilton said they are being moved into temporary storage until they can find a new home.
"We have been searching for three years," she said. "It couldn't be a worse time to have to move financially because real estate is at a premium and there's very little of it. Many of the marijuana businesses have taken so many of the commercial spaces that are on visible streets."
The wonders of a miniature world have been hidden on Gaylord St. for more than 30 years.
"It has been a well-kept secret, and that's too bad for us," said Hamilton. "Grandmother's love to bring their children and say this is what I played with when I was a little girl."
Hamilton said the museum has been on a year-to-year lease, and we're recently informed by History Colorado that they wanted to do something different with the lease.
The museum was given the option to buy the property, but at a hefty price Hamilton said they couldn't afford.
"The house was offered to us to purchase for a million dollars, but it needs two million dollars in renovations. Three million dollars for this house was out of our budget," she explained.
Hamilton said they are asking for the public help, and are accepting donations here through their non-profit.
"We keep raising funds, and we keep looking and if anyone can help us find a place or help us with donations to get into a place we would be so blessed," she said. "We were told 30 years ago, this would never survive and we survived and we're going to keep surviving."