In early 2024 I signed up to have a stand at the Miniature Enthusiasts of Toronto Annual show that was scheduled for October 19th. That gave me 9 months to prepare for my first ever mini show that I'd be attending as a vendor. I registered for a 4 ft table and then got to work to fill it!
I was (and still am really) in the early stages of my miniature making journey so I didn't know exactly what would be popular and sell well, so I just followed my heart and stuck to making things that I like and hoped that other people would like them too. As I worked, I had more and more ideas and found my style emerging, and gradually my inventory grew.
Making enough minis to fill that space is no easy feat! But having the goal of the show in mind was such a good motivator, and stopped me from procrastinating too much!
I made a variety of 1:12 scale mini furniture and wall art of varying complexity. I wanted to offer a wide price range to cater to different budgets
I also had to figure out packaging, not only to transport the miniatures safely to Toronto but also for the customers to get them home safely once bought. Packaging everything up took a good couple of days! For all of the more fragile pieces I made custom cushioning with some polystyrene that I'd saved from some flat-packed furniture earlier in the year.
I had a stamp of my logo made by a Canadian company on Etsy so that I could brand my packaging too!
As it was my first show I had to design the display and layout of my table. I built some display shelves using some left over pallet wood that I had laying around, and covered them in cork sheet for a warm finish. I stood them on wooden boxes of differing sizes to create different heights. This kept them modular and easy to transport. To display my mini paintings and wall art I added thin wooden "shelves" to an old cork board that I got from a thrift store.
It was such a great show!! Everybody was really friendly and enthusiastic, the organisers super welcoming, and a whole bunch of my miniatures found new homes!
I got to see my season 3 Best in Miniature pals Jen Arnold and Arline Smith! As well as Roxanne, Cielo and Susete from season 1 and Micheline, Michelle, Briar and Alberto from season 2. And I met a lot of people in person who I only knew through instagram previously! Special thanks to Karen Mason who's instrumental in organising the MET minis show and encouraged me to exhibit!
Next up, I'll be exhibiting at the prestigious Kensington Dollhouse Summer Festival in London, UK on May 16th & 17th 2025!!
Wish me luck in safely transporting my miniatures across the Atlantic!
And If you're coming to the festival, be sure to swing by and say hi!
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