Moments before 10:00 a.m., a security guard thanked the crowd for cooperating.
As the clock struck the hour, it became clear why: the doors of the Marriott Chicago O’Hare conference center were flung open, and hundreds of attendees, mostly over the age of 60, moved as quickly as possible to the booths.
The Chicago International Miniatures Show is promoted as “The World’s Number 1 Dollhouse Miniatures Fair”, but there are not many dollhouses themselves. Instead, attendees browse thousands of small objects that fill these tiny houses: sponges, chocolate fondue fountains, rocking chairs, grills or miniature fly swatters.
The Tom Bishop Fair, as many attendees call it, is considered by its namesake founder to be the world’s largest dollhouse miniatures event. The figures seem to back up that claim. This year, more than 250 vendors traveled from 21 countries and 35 states in the US More than 3,000 people attended, filling three large conference rooms.
The week-long event included workshops with themes such as “Lobsterfest” (focusing on making miniature lobster-boiling accessories); fairs; and three days of ticketed shopping for the public.
For many vendors, the fair is where they hope to get most of their annual sales.
Teri, 77, of Teri’s Mini Workshop, who declined to give her last name, showed off her nacho cheese machines and miniature medical supplies (about $10). She hoped her low prices would attract customers—there are some tables where pieces can cost hundreds of dollars.
If a collector wants something rare, it could sell out the first day, said Becky Evert, 68, a customer who had traveled from Denver, Colorado, with friends. “Did I come on a budget? Yes,” she said. “Did I stick with it? No”.
Margie Criner, 53, of Chicago’s Itty Bitty Mini Mart, makes miniatures as part of her full-time fine-art trade. Her tiny items, which include records from the rock band Television and translucent jelly, are inspired by items she owned as a child.
Criner is part of a new generation of miniature makers, following in the footsteps of artists like Laurie Simmons, taking the field from the home to the gallery.
Almost everyone at the convention described the world of miniature buying and selling as collaborative and joyful, and there are many reasons why people have become obsessive collectors and makers.
Morgan Cressey, 30, was one of the youngest adult patrons at the convention. Cressey, who works as a babysitter and waitress, had traveled from Spokane, Wash., to stock her collection, a hobby that fascinated her thanks to her mother’s childhood miniatures.
A sense of community is also a big draw. Verónica Morales of Mexico City-based Vero’s Miniatures sold miniatures — which she makes with her entire family — of an ofrenda, an altar for deceased relatives, and piñatas, among other items.
The current state of the field of miniatures is encouraging, said Barbara Davis, 76, director of the International Guild of Miniature Crafts school in Castine, Maine, where many of the convention’s creators had taken or taught courses.
“There’s a surge of people making a wide variety of creative thumbnailssaid Davis, who attributed the change to the younger and more diverse manufacturers entering the industry.
Bishop said he has signed a two-year agreement with the Marriott Chicago O’Hare. As he prepared for this year’s convention, he recalled telling his wife that he hardly knows everyone in attendance anymore.
“They are all new,” he said. “It’s growing again.”
One small item at a time.
EMMA ORLOW
THE NEW YORK TIMES
BBC-NEWS-SRC: http://www.nytsyn.com/subscribed/stories/6727160, IMPORTING DATE: 2023-05-23 19:00:07
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