A MODERN-DAY FAIRYTALE

From Oak Brook Ballerina to Hinsdale Entrepreneur, Once Upon a Dollhouse’s Caitlin Jecklin Builds a Brand on a Mix of Softness and Strength

Once upon a time, Caitlin Jecklin was a ballerina.

“I loved everything girly,” she says of her Oak Brook upbringing from the “pink sitting room” of her home. “I would go shopping with my mom and she would always make me do a fashion show once we got home.”

But as gentle and demure as she seemed, there was always another side to her. “My mom always called me the rose in between two thorns – who were in fact my brothers,” laughs Jecklin, who attended Notre Dame School in Clarendon Hills as a child. “I always have been able to hold my own.”

It’s a juxtaposition that now lives at the heart of Once Upon a Dollhouse – the whimsical, modern-day fairytale brand she created to celebrate both softness and strengths as much as beauty and backbones.

“It’s not all about what I have and about material possessions,” says Jecklin. “I identify as a doll, but also, I identify my audience as dolls too. It is an inclusive environment. We’re all in this club together.”

Indeed, a sense of nostalgia is woven directly into the brand’s name – Once Upon a Dollhouse – an idea that originally came from the people and pieces of Jecklin’s past. “My grandmothers would both call people ‘dolls’ as a compliment,” remembers Jecklin, a longtime member of Butterfield Country Club. “I also had a condo downtown when I first got started filled with my grandmother’s reupholstered furniture, and my friends started calling my condo the Dollhouse.”

Since launching Once Upon a Dollhouse in 2016, Jecklin has grown her online community to more than 200,000 followers, fueled by robust website content covering topics such as fashion, beauty, wellness, travel, and philanthropy. Along the way, she has also secured a slew of impressive brand partnerships, further solidifying the Dollhouse as both a lifestyle and a business.

But perhaps, more importantly, Jecklin says that Once Upon a Dollhouse has allowed her the chance to pursue an interest she has had for a lifetime.

“I always wanted to be a writer,” she says. “I always wanted to work for a fashion magazine. I eventually transitioned from writing to public relations to being an influencer myself – so having my own blog where I could create my own writing style and talk about fashion and those fun things that I’m passionate about is a dream come true.”

It is in this blog that Jecklin has not only written about the beauty that seems to surround her, but also the weeds that tend to grow through the cracks of the most beautiful lives.

“I like to romanticize certain things in life, but the fact is that we all deal with different hardships, no matter what it is,” says Jecklin. “You can connect with your audience when you’re being so vulnerable.”

For Jecklin, it is often these hardships that have caused her to look and live life differently. “My dad battled cancer for several years, and he ended up passing away not from cancer, but from Covid, a few years ago,” says Jecklin. “He really taught me that there are so many wonderful moments in life, not only the big moments that should be celebrated and screamed from the mountaintops, but also the everyday moments that are just as special.”

Often, Jecklin says she is most acutely aware of these everyday moments when she is at home spending time with her and her husband’s four-year-old son Teddy.

“I always say that whoever marries him is so lucky,” chuckles Jecklin of her beloved little boy. “He is going to be the best husband, and it is important for me to teach him that women can be soft and nurturing, but they can also be go-getters and fierce and all of those great things as well.”

As Once Upon a Dollhouse has grown, so has Jecklin’s desire to invest in the community around her. “I’ve truly never felt more connected to a community,” she says. “Hinsdale and the surrounding suburbs are filled with driven, generous, stylish women who genuinely show up for one another. Whether it’s cheering each other on in business, supporting a charity gala, or simply sharing a recommendation, there’s this beautiful blend of ambition and heart. It has been the perfect place to raise my son and grow my brands.”

Indeed, giving back is foundational for Jecklin.

“The moment I joined Hinsdale Junior Women’s Club, I truly felt a shift in myself where I could take my connections off screen to in-person connections with people as well,” she says. “Serving on the HJWC board has shown me firsthand the power of community impact. I’ve also supported other local organizations including IWS, Salt Creek Ballet, and Simply From the Heart. I’m grateful to play even a small part in the good happening here.”

Those in-person connections eventually led to the creation of Dollhouse Social, a sister company to Once Upon a Dollhouse where Jecklin works with large brands on full-scale social media management. Jecklin also recently launched a new facet of Dollhouse Social where she uses her expertise in PR marketing, social media marketing and influencer marketing to create a strategic social media roadmap specifically for small businesses.

“This model focuses on creating a strategic social media roadmap, training their internal team, and providing ongoing check-ins rather than managing everything full-time,” explains Jecklin. “I’m also excited to share that I’ll be partnering with photographer Molly Grace in 2026 for branding sessions as part of this initiative.”

How does one woman do it all?

“I think that you have to pinpoint the things that make you happy and fuel you and keep you going,” says Jecklin. “I like to wake up when it’s dark outside. I actually meditate in the morning and then I get a ton of work done so I can be fully present with my son when I take him to school and start my day with him.”

And then she goes to the gym.

“I keep that scheduled in my calendar almost as a business meeting because that does give me energy to fuel me,” she explains. “I need those endorphins and that energy to keep me going through the day. And then from there, it’s back in to hustle mode.”