An Artisan's Tale...

Having been away from the fair circuit for almost three years prior to Miniatura, I was definitely extremely rusty and felt not quite ‘fair ready'. 

Moving from mainly  1/12^th dolls and kits, to very tiny dolls and toys did mean that I could downsize  from my former 6 or even 12 foot stand, to a very teeny, weeny 4 foot.  Of course, the inevitable knock-on effect meant that my previous display stand had to go, and a new one designed and built to replace it.

No pressure then.

However, despite travelling to Birmingham via what felt like Aberdeen (!) we did arrive more or less on time, and the old, familiar, ‘fair buzz' was soon evident as we vied with dozens of other exhibitors, unloading and setting up.

Pre-fair nerves were in evidence all during Friday evening, as I restlessly checked, double checked, and triple checked my final lists, dreading the thought that I had either left something vital behind at home, or even worse, failed to think of something extremely important, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Thankfully none of the above came to pass.  Despite a shaky start on Saturday morning (me that is, not the sales!) I soon got into my stride, and felt like I'd never been away.

However, during quiet spells, which on Saturday were few and far between, I fell to musing on the whole ‘fair experience' thing.  Having been involved in miniatures for 25 years (I was only a young thing when I started......honest!) I've visited hundreds of fairs, both as an exhibitor, and as a collector.

I have to say, nothing much has changed........except that when I began you could count the number of miniature fairs held nationally on the fingers of both hands and now there are literally dozens.  There are still fantastically gifted and original miniature artisans out there, as well as genuinely committed, knowledgeable collectors.

However, over the years I have learnt by my (many) mistakes, on both sides of the table.

So here are just a few hints and tips to make your fair experience smoother and hassle-free.  Most are just common sense.............

• Take a supply of self adhesive address labels with you.  These will save valuable time if you have to leave your address with an exhibitor. It pains me to see people juggling handbags, carrier bags, fair programmes, coats etc while trying to write their contact details on the back of a cheque, or on a mailing list.
•      
• Even better, stick a few address labels on the back of cheques in your chequebook before you go! 
• Exhibitors really, really appreciate this.
• Dress sensibly.  Now I can practically hear you scoffing, but believe me, it has to be said.  I don't mean the obvious stuff like sensible shoes, or layers of clothing.  I'm talking about dangly earrings, long necklaces, charm bracelets, long hair.  I've often had to disentangle potential customers from dolls, and on one memorable occasion, had to cut someone loose when her long, loose hair became impossibly entangled on a tiny, jewelled tiara. If you're reading this I hope it has all grown back. 
• Be prepared.  Better still, take a proper ‘organiser' handbag to fairs.  Trust me, rummaging around in the bottom of a capacious but disorganised  handbag will only make you hot and bothered.  Pulling all the stuff out of your handbag and spreading it out on the table to find those elusive pound coins will make the exhibitor hot and bothered. 
• Call me obsessive (!?) but as a visitor, I used to divide cash into separate, small purses.  Makes it easier to keep track of how much you've spent, and will give you a warm glow when you discover one you didn't know you had.
• Don't be put off if an exhibitor asks you to write two cheques if the total of your purchase exceeds your cheque card limit.  I can't be the only exhibitor to have fallen foul of a bounced cheque which was over the card limit!
• Do talk to exhibitors.  Sounds obvious but I sometimes think that people will do anything to avoid eye contact and starting a conversation.  We won't pressure you into buying anything ..............honest!
• Tracking.  This is the art of finding a stand which you visited 6 hours ago at the start of the day when you were fresh, lively and still had money.  We've all done it...........seen something fantastic, passed it by, and 10 minutes before close of play decide that we absolutely MUST have it and the family can live on baked bean on toast till the end of the month and like it.  However, in a hall with perhaps 200 stands, and only a few minutes before closing, it's a case of finding that ‘must have' miniature.  A good tip is to pick up a business card at any stand you think you might  revisit.  Jot a few relevant words on the back, plus the stand number or rough location.  Even if you don't make it back on time, or your credit card is maxed out, at least you will have the exhibitors contact details for future reference.

sandra@diminiutivedolls.co.uk