By KAY S. PEDROTTI

Staff Writer

Bunny Rogers sometimes holds back a doll or two, hoping they might not sell in her shop there's still a lot of "little girl" in her.

"I sometimes say to people, 'Buy a doll for your little girl or the little girl in you,' so I guess I have a lifelong interest in dolls," said the owner of The Good Bunny Doll Shop in Fayetteville.

She said the shop, just over a year old, is "the only specialty doll shop south of Marietta." Because she "kept seeing people from the southside at the shops on the north side of Atlanta," she decided to turn her hobby into a business. So far the shop has done well, and Rogers said she is better prepared for this Christmas season than she was after opening in October 1997.

Her selection of dolls, bears, assorted fuzzy things and actual "work of art" creations (like the Lynn Haney Santas) is so varied that "now I see people from the northside coming down here to shop; that's a good feeling." Doll collectors may be eclectic or particular about their selections, so Rogers tries to have something for everyone.

Best of all, she said, she likes the several lines of "play dolls" for little girls who want their virtual reality in a lovable form they can carry, change, wash, dress, snuggle and nap with. For younger girls there are the babies, most dressed in pajamas and rompers and equipped with pacifiers and rattles. The Lee Middleton babies are even weighted to feel and flop like newborns.

For the older girls, The Good Bunny carries the "Magic Attic Club," available in very few places in the Atlanta area, Rogers says. Also available are The American Girl dolls, a bit more expensive than Magic Attic's series, and the classic, Mattel's Barbie Collectibles. The elusive "NASCAR Barbie" is in good supply at the shop.

There's even an Elvis Presley doll that looks like Elvis, and a Susan Lucci clone, dolled up like the actress's soap-opera character "Erika Kane." Bears and bunnies abound, alongside a few lambs, movie character dolls (like Mulan), traditionals like Raggedy Ann and Andy and the hapless Pooh and friends.

Some other notable designers' works in stock at The Good Bunny include those by Madame Alexander, Annette Himstedt, Raikes Bears, Steiff, Julie Good-Kruger, Dakin, Wendy Lofton and Corolle.

Rogers says one of the shop's more popular items is the $19.99 Dakin "Lovie," a combination stuffed doll and/or security blanket. The "Lovies" come in bears, bunnies or Precious Moments cuties, all as soft as a "comfort toy" can be.

Small dolls and animals sell for as little as $2 in the shop, but the ones aimed at the grown-ups who have the time, space and money for collecting can range in the thousands. Many have real human hair, lifelike eyes, proportional arms and legs and accurate skin colors. Most of the "series" dolls do come in several ethnic varieties, Rogers said.

Since her husband created a website for her, www.goodbunnydollshop.com, Rogers is shipping her little ones all over the world.

The doll "under the counter" at the moment is a Sonya Hartman creation called "The Rabbit Lover," made in Germany. She's holding a bunny, and has a teddy bear also holding a bunny. The hand-knitted cashmere caps on the doll and teddy bear have bunny ears.

"This one is just so special," said Rogers. "But almost every one I sell I keep thinking, 'Oh, that was the one I was going to keep.'"

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