About Village Vault

Why I Built Village Vault

I’ve been collecting village pieces for many years — especially Department 56’s North Pole Series. It all started with my mom. Every Christmas she gave each of her kids a village piece. We each built our own collection over the years, and every holiday we looked forward to seeing what new piece we would receive. It was fun, and it was simple.

Fast forward to today: I’m married, and my wife has become the keeper of the collection. I still set it up every holiday season, but she loves the collection as much as I enjoy expanding it. Now I’m usually the one finding new pieces as gifts and adding to “her collection.”

All of that, however, still doesn’t explain why I built Village Vault — so here’s the real story.

On more than one occasion, I bought a new piece for my wife, excited to surprise her — only to discover later that we already owned it. Duplicates! NO!!!

I needed a way to track the collection.

At first I tried:

• A notebook — too slow

• A spreadsheet — helpful, but awkward when out shopping

• Notes on my phone — better, but still messy

As a collector, I knew there had to be a better way — and instead of hoping someone else would build it, I decided to build it myself.

That’s how Village Vault was born.

I wanted something:

• Simple

• Organized

• Exactly tailored to how collectors think

• Easy to use anywhere, anytime

My wife and I tested every version, and she gave me great ideas to make it better.

At first the app lived only on my phone — but then I thought, why not share it?
Maybe it will help another collector stay organized too.

What’s Next?

Village Vault isn’t finished — far from it.
I plan to expand it and make it an even better tool for collectors. If you have ideas or suggestions, I’d love to hear them: stennedysolutions@aol.com