York Dolls House Fair Review – June 2024

Today, I dusted off my magnifying glass (well, I would have if I had one) and ventured to my first miniature fair in nearly 15 years! This time, I wasn’t there to exhibit my quirky creations but purely to soak in the mini magic and see how the scene has evolved since the heyday of icklebits minis. And where better to dive back into the tiny world than the charming city of York at the York Dolls House Fair?

Held at the York Racecourse and organised by Warners Fairs, the fair was a delight. I’ve exhibited in York before, but honestly, it’s been so long (over 15 years?!) that I can’t remember if it was at the same place or if my memory is just playing tricks on me.

 

The fair was split into four sections, one of which was sneakily (to those of us who aren’t observant!) hidden upstairs. We almost missed it, but luckily my Other Half overheard someone talking about it. Bless his eavesdropping skills! With over 50 exhibitors, the fair covered a fantastic spectrum of miniatures, from intricate furniture and dollhouses to quirky cauldrons and even a gents’ toilet. Yes, you read that right – a miniature gents’ toilet!

Traditional Meets Modern Miniatures

As expected, there were plenty of traditional miniatures reminiscent of the early 20th century. However, I was thrilled to see more modern miniatures and creations similar to the ones I used to make. Back in the day, icklebits was the go-to for all things weird and wonderful, with bestsellers like miniature vomit and dog poo. Those were the golden days! Of course, the market for tiny oddities has since been filled, but it was heartwarming to see that the spirit of quirky miniatures is still alive and kicking.

Observations and the Changing Demographics

I’ll be honest (and I hope not to offend), the clientele was largely of a certain generation. To put it in perspective, I was in my late 20s when I started icklebits and my customers were mainly in their 50s. Now myself and my customers are 20 years older. This made me wonder if there will still be a market for miniatures in another 10 years. That’s why I was so pleased to see some children buying retro miniatures. My Other Half overheard a conversation (he really does eavesdrop a lot!) where a woman asked her daughter (he’s assuming that’s who she was), who looked to be in her early 20s, what she was buying. When the daughter showed her, the elder woman turned to her companion and said it was as if the daughter was furnishing her own house.

My Other Half suggests that perhaps young people today are creating their dream houses in miniature because owning a real property isn’t as easy these days. It’s an intriguing thought – furnishing a dolls’ house to reflect their ideal home.

 

Leo Lola by Kelly is an example of this as she sells retro and modern miniatures and her stall was one that I saw a young boy excitedly choosing miniatures from. He was one of the few younger generation that I saw. I’d have loved to know what scene he was planning on creating from them. Check out her facebook page or Etsy shop for more.

 

Photo credit: Leo Lola by Kelly

The older generation seems to buy miniatures that recreate the times of their grandparents, but the up-and-coming generation might start bucking that trend and creating miniatures from the retro years. It’s an exciting prospect and gives me hope for the future of miniatures.

Graham Bolton Miniatures: A Reunion

Photo credit: Graham Bolton Miniatures

Remember the gents’ toilets I mentioned? Well, another of my favourite stalls was Graham Bolton Miniatures. I exhibited with him all those years ago (let’s not make me feel any older by mentioning how long ago again!), and I was delighted to see his business is still going strong. His talent still shines through in his scenes. The gents’ toilets were exactly how us ladies imagine them to be – bleurgh. We had a wonderful chat where he politely pretended to remember me, which was both endearing and quintessentially British. I was half expecting him to say, “Who?!”, but he saved me from that awkward moment. Bless him! I hope to feature Graham in a future post so you can see just how amazing his work is. View more of his work on Facebook.

 

Photo credit: icklebits minis

Another stall I liked was Michael of Michael R Miniatures. His handcrafted creations jumped out at me as I walked past. Not quite literally, thank goodness (one of them was a plant like the one from Little Shop of Horrors!). I love seeing handcrafted miniatures that are out of the ordinary. I immediately start trying to build a scene around them in my head. I think collectors go there with their dollhouse in mind, looking for bits to put in it. Others (like me) see one miniature and then want to create an entire scene centred around it. I mean, who wouldn’t want to build an elaborate tiny world around a carnivorous plant? Check out Michaels work on Etsy, Facebook, and Instagram.

Magic-Themed Miniatures: A Chat with a Talented Creator

Remember the quirky cauldrons I mentioned at the beginning? Well that was a creation that particularly caught my eye from Victoria of V.H Miniatures. She crafted enchanting witch’s cauldrons and all things magic-themed, which was right up my alley. A rotating cauldron caught our eye – a cleverly added feature that made it stand out. She also had hand-carved staffs and wands. This was how we got chatting; I just had to ask her if they were hand-carved. I commented that I wouldn’t have the patience and would have probably snapped them in frustration. Check out Victoria on her website, Facebook and Instagram.

Dr Mini Designs: Teeny Weeny Paintbrushes and Pencils

 

Photo credit: icklebits minis

Now, let me introduce you to Dr Mini Designs. I got chatting to Anh about her teeny weeny paintbrushes and pencils. As you may have noticed, I’m very much inclined to believe I would end up snapping anything that requires me carving. (I’m much better with polymer clay), so thats why these caught my eye. She must have the patience of a saint! You need to see these in person to really appreciate the skill involved. Check out more in her Etsy shop.

Observations for Fellow Sellers

Now, for some observations that might be useful for fellow sellers (more detailed advice to come in a future post):

 

When I last went to a fair, I had perfect eyesight. These days, I have two pairs of glasses. Annoyingly, I didn’t think about this before I went, so I spent most of my time putting my glasses on my head to look at things and then back on to walk around. This made me think about how everyone should have a magnifying glass on their stall. There was a few people at York Dolls House Fair that had magnifying glasses which was great. It’s such a simple thought and one I never had when I was exhibiting. Well, at least I don’t think I did. I can’t remember now if I had one or not! Jeez, my memory stinks.

 

Another observation is that people don’t state what is handmade. On stalls with lots going on, it was hard to tell. The organisers for this fair state that at least 80% must be handmade….

The natural assumption when you see factory-made stuff is to imagine that all of it is on that stall. If any of it was handmade, then they are doing themselves no favours because the value of something is a lot higher if you know for a fact it is handmade or one of a kind.

Also, not pricing items is a huge turn-off. I have social anxiety, and situations where I have to decline are to be avoided. If I have to ask the price, I just won’t because then I can avoid the awkwardness if the price is out of my budget. I’m British, I can’t just walk away with a polite “no thank you.” I have to say way more than that! For instance, there was a stall with beautiful fairy houses. I marched over (according to my Other Half, I was on a mission), but when I got there, I saw the sign to inquire about the price. That was that. I didn’t want to get into a potentially awkward conversation. If you think your item is worth the price, just put it up. By not pricing it, they lost a potential sale. The only reason I can think of for not listing prices is to engage people in conversation and use sales tactics, but it doesn’t work for everyone. 

 

One last observation: I saw many people at York Dolls House Fair selling items that clearly breached copyright laws. Modern-day packaging, branded items, and so on. It’s very risky and could lead to serious consequences. Sellers should really be careful about this.

 

Returning to the miniature world was like reuniting with an old friend – familiar, comforting, and full of delightful surprises. I can’t wait to dive back in and perhaps bring a bit of icklebits magic back to the scene. Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll share more detailed advice for selling at fairs!