The Not-So-Small World of Tom Bishop’s Chicago International Miniatures Show

CHICAGO — Shortly before 10 a.m., a security guard thanked the crowd for their cooperation.

When the clock struck the hour, the reason became clear. The doors of the Marriott Chicago O’Hare Conference Center opened and hundreds of attendees, mostly over the age of 60, lined up as fast as they could. booth.

Many people planned their shopping in advance by looking at a color-coded map showing the location of each booth. This could easily be mistaken for a Black Friday sale.Instead, it Chicago International Miniature Show.

Billed as “the world’s number one dollhouse miniature show,” the gathering doesn’t have many actual dollhouses. Instead, participants sift through thousands of tiny objects that fill tiny homes, including miniature sponges, chocolate fondue fountains, rocking chairs, barbecue sets, Tupperware containers, and fly swatters.

Referred to by many as the Tom Bishop Show, the show is considered by its founder, Mr. Bishop, to be the world’s largest dollhouse miniatures event. The numbers seem to support that claim. This year, we had over 250 vendors from 21 countries and 35 states.

Over 3,000 attendees filled three large conference rooms and spilled out into the corridors. The week-long event, from April 24th to April 30th, features ticketed workshops on themes such as “Lobsterfest” (focused on making miniature lobster boil ornaments). was included. trade show. and his three-day ticketed shopping for the public.

Bishop estimates he has put on more than 500 miniature shows around the world, but has scaled back in recent years to focus only on Chicago, which has been held continuously for nearly 40 years. The hotel itself is also personal to Bishop, where he and his wife Leni, 77, spent the first night of their honeymoon.

In 1977, they moved from Chicago to Margate, Florida, where they opened a dollhouse store, Miniland, which closed in 1984 to focus on traveling conventions. Bishop, who also worked for American Airlines for 17 years, said he was inspired to start his own show after being on other shows that “run very poorly.”

“The largest miniature dollhouse convention” may sound like a silly distinction to some, but it’s no joke for sellers. For many people, the Tom Bishop Show is where they want to make most of their annual sales.

Terry, 77 years old Terri’s Mini WorkshopHe declined to give his last name, but said that if the booth hadn’t been taken down at the last minute, he wouldn’t have been able to showcase things like a miniature nacho cheese maker, a Gefilte fish platter, and medicines (about $10). She wanted her soft power to be priced low, as opposed to other tables that traded at hundreds of dollars a piece.

Becky Ebert, 68, a customer visiting from Denver with a friend for the event, said that if collectors want something unique, it can sell out on the first day. “Did you have a budget? Yes,” she said. “Did I stay in it? No.” In the seven years she attended, it was the largest crowd she had ever seen.

Beth Posen running (42) mountain creek miniature A full-time postal worker and second-generation miniaturist who creates items such as Goth furniture and Christmas cookie trays (her career began at Girl Scout craft fairs). She said she drove from Spokane, Washington, to the convention and wanted to recoup transportation and labor costs and some of that. Bishop said the price for an individual table is her $325, with some choosing to put her two tables in a booth.

While breadth like Posen’s has value, others are trying to differentiate themselves with a more niche focus.Christine Castenciordo, 41 years old hearty canine From Green Village, New Jersey, she became famous for selling miniature dogs on Etsy. “I get some of her hair from her friend who is a pet groomer,” she said. Since then, she has expanded her sale of all kinds of furry friends, her lights miniatures. -Up aquarium and trompe l’oeil cat toilet.

Margie Kleiner, 53, from Chicago Itty Bitty Mini Martmakes miniatures as part of her full-time fine arts practice (she is currently exhibited in the traveling show “”)small is beautiful”) But she needed a way to make her work more accessible. I am getting a ration.

Kleiner is part of a new generation of miniature makers following in the footsteps of artists such as: Laurie Simmonsbrought the genre out of the home and into the gallery with designs that are more modern and saucy than the selection of antiquities that once came to define the world of miniatures.

It can be hard to stand out, but everyone said the world of buying and selling miniatures was very supportive and fun. There are many reasons why people become obsessive collectors and makers.

Anita Hobson, 63, a customer in Belleville, Illinois, said she and her husband came to the Tom Bishop convention to find items to add to the dollhouse her mother started before she died.She got dizzy when she saw work clothespins sold by Maria Fowler of Toronto Little Dollhouse Company.

Meanwhile, Morgan Cressey, 30, was one of the youngest adult customers to attend the convention. Ms. Cressey, who works as a nanny and waiter, had traveled alone from Spokane that weekend to shop for her collection. She was her obsessed pastime through the miniatures her mother made in her childhood.

A sense of community is a big draw for people.Veronica Morales Vero miniature She said the show was a big opportunity to show in the US, where the miniature market is more robust than in her home city of Mexico City. This year, Morales sold miniatures for Tom Bishop, including an obrenda made by her entire family, an altar for her deceased relatives, and a piñata.

Barbara Davis, 76, a retired principal and now the principal of the school, said the current state of the miniature world is encouraging. International Miniature Artisans Guildmany of the organizers of the competition had taken or taught the course.

“There’s been an explosion of people making such diverse and creative miniatures,” said Ms. Davis, noting that the change is due to the young and diverse makers entering the industry today. rice field. He added that IGMA, located in Castine, Maine, had record enrollments last year for a school more than 40 years old.

Bishop said he has already signed a two-year contract with Marriott Chicago O’Hare. But after 82-year-old Bishop ceased to be a showman, his children — Rachel, 48, and Rebecca, 51 — are no longer working professionally with miniatures. -whether or not he wants to take over remains to be seen.

Bishop, on the other hand, is thrilled with the status quo. As he was preparing for this year’s competition, he remembered saying to his wife: “I barely know all the attendees anymore. They’re all new,” he said. “You’re growing again.” One small item at a time.