New England miniatures festival delights dollhouse collectors

STURBRIDGE – Attending the 2013 Sturbridge Dollhhouse Miniatures Festival last weekend was like spending a few hours in fantasy land.

[/media-credit] From Karen Aird (karensdollhouse.com) in New Jersey.

More than 75 dealers from all over the United States, Canada, England and France sold an astounding variety of Lilliputian wares.

Prices ranged from a few dollars to well into the hundreds.

Dollhouses all over New England and beyond are going to be outfitted with new beds, tiny dolls and teddy bears, intricate floral arrangements and even dollhouse people that look real enough to open their mouths and start talking.

This is the 30th year that Molly Cromwell, of Virginia, has promoted huge miniatures shows such as the one held in Sturbridge. The events require endless planning and monumental coordination. 

The festival is New England’s largest miniatures show.

Many of the dealers and customers who participated appeared to know each other from previous years, but there were lots of newcomers, too.

Imagine seeing canning jars half the size of a baby finger filled with real-looking slices of oranges and other fruits and vegetables.  They were for sale at the festival, along with hutches and cabinets to put them into.

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Furniture for every room in a dollhouse as well as the entire house could be purchased, too.

Dealers set up their sprawling, merchandise-filled tables in a huge room in Host Hotel on Main Street in Sturbridge. Attendees were elbow-to-elbow throughout Sunday morning, straining to get a look at the thousands of small items.

[/media-credit] Also from Karen Aird, a gazebo perfect for a dollhouse garden.

Ms. Cromwell also coordinates tours outside of the country, all of which cater to a love of miniatures.

Upcoming trips are planned to Austria, England and France.  Detailed information can be found on her website, mollycromwell.com.

If you are a person who plans well in advance, next year’s Sturbridge festival is set for May 31 and June 1. It is always the weekend after Memorial Day.

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on June 6, 2013. Filed under Arts and Entertainment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry