For March, we are asking you to send in a picture of your favorite miniature shop. For full instructions, look here.
It may take a few days for your pictures to be posted. After the end of the monthly challenge, you will receive a small thank you gift for participating.
Here are the beautiful submissions:
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From Margaret Gordus:
Red Hat shop was a fun project in 1/12" scale.
Lady's shop -State Day in Sacramento CA. Has my wedding Veil displayed. I made almost everything in the shop.
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From Sally Lonn:
This special Gringerbread Bakery in half scale was a class taught by Sue Ann Ketchum for Create. I took the theme to heart and invited: Little Red Riding Hood, The Wolf, Mrs Bear, Papa Pig and Snow White along with my Mrs Gingerbread to come shop in this packed bakery with lots of tiny cakes, cookies, and cinnamon rolls. The smells must be wonderful….
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From Kim Fitzsimmons:
I turned the Thursday Night Project at the 2025 convention into a cigar shop. The wooden Indian and red chair were purchased at the garage sale.
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From Kathy Koons:
For the Miniature World of Central Florida Fun Day in 2019, Ron Mummert of Ron's Miniature Shop in Orlando designed a 1:12 scale two-sided structure meant to house a bridal shop and a florist. However, I changed mine into "Roam with Me", a shop of travel treasures to reflect my trips, and "Cake Canaveral", where one could sample foreign foods, as well as buy some to take home. I cannot tell you how much fun I had stocking the two sides. Oh, and credit for the names goes to my older daughter!
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From Tammy Jones:
I am a member of Daytona Ideal Miniature Enthusiasts (DIME). My club did a "Paper Challenge" in 2019 and this is my Christmas Shop. Everything is paper except for the acetate windows. It is 1/24 scale.
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From Diane Fisher:
My shoppe is a music store, “Noteworthy “, in memory of Bruce and Judy Steinke. They designed this kit.
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From Stacy Opp:
I found this building in a flea market for $25. It didn't have a bottom on it, windows or a door and it had 4 walls. I removed part of the roof and one wall, added a foam board "upstairs" so my shopkeeper had a place to live. The shelves and display cases where all made from Realife Miniature kits from the 70's, I got from ebay. I made the crackers and pickles in the barrels from clay. I also made the cakes and pie in the display cases from clay. The candies on the shelf in jars are beads and nail art accents. The floor and ceiling are scrapbook paper. It took me over a year to complete, but I'm really happy with the way it turned out.
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From Suzanne Spooner-Munch:
Hi - Allow me to present the “Tempus Restorum” clock shop - my first creation after joining NAME. (The 2019 NAME craft desk project became the clock maker’s bench.) Many of the clocks were lovingly made of non-functioning ladies’ wrist watches, beads and coffee stirrers etc. The 2 women visiting the shop chat with the clock maker about finding the right clock. My own husband (the clock maker) restores antique clocks and is the inspiration for this shop.
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From Anne Renwick:
Here is a picture of my jewelry shop, inspired by my self-challenge to make 1:12 scale jewelry. I managed necklaces, earrings and rings from tiny beads and wire I found at a thrift store. Watches were beyond me so they are a photo of my husband's watch collection. From real jewelry findings are the "diamond sculpture" on a plinth made from a cosmetic bottle top, the "sculpture" on the middle cabinet, and the wall art (with a choker added to the cameo to match the bags). The little glass vase holds real diamond dust from a tool-making factory. The "diamond" necklace is on a hand from an online shop, encased in a left over clear box. The bags are from a printie template wirh an added downloaded image. Cabinets are pieces of balsa, coloured with metallic gold pen, and shelves are microscope slides (also a thrift store find). I'm pretty pleased with the results; next challenge for the shop: a tiara!
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From Gayle Cramer:
The first is the one I spent the most time on. My friend gave my a kit of a news stand. I assembled it. My husband a couple weeks later gifted me the same kit so to keep him from feeling bad I copied all the pieces in black and white. I added other things and the Union Builder papers are for him. The red apple is to prove I didn’t just taken a picture of it in black and white.
The next one is a Pop Shop from my youth.
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From Lesia Lennex:
I have to share my silly shop, Purls, with Create for March! Loved making all the elements for this piece!
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From Carol J. Shea:
This is part of Debbie Young's Street of Shops. They are all in this cabinet.
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From Andrea Zweig Wagner:
This is one of my favorite shops that I've built. Making the chocolates was so involved but fun!
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From Elizabeth Lubera:
Over the years, I have had many favorite miniature shops, both within and beyond my home state of Michigan. My first photo highlights one enduring favorite: Muriel’s Dollhouse in Plymouth, Michigan. My daughter and I have been visiting this shop (which we call “the pink house” for its colorful, dollhouse-like façade) for decades. While I can no longer climb the stairs to the second floor with its amazing array of miniature treasures, my daughter continues to visit with my granddaughter and great granddaughter, who – at the age of three -- already shares my love of miniatures (and the toys they sell on the first floor!).
My second photo shows a collection of miniatures purchased from some of my favorite shops.
The hand-painted Japanese chest – which has a plethora of interior drawers that all open! – is a Bespaq creation that I purchased at Pat’s Village Miniatures in Dearborn, MI. The peddler doll below the chest is from one of my favorite miniature stores: the Singing Tree in London, England. Sadly, these stores are no longer open!
The magnificent miniature floral arrangements in the foreground and the shelving unit stocked with a colorful supply of yarn, fabric and other sewing supplies are both from Muriel’s Dollhouse. Both the valentine-themed display in front of the chest and the exquisite hand-painted blue-and-white container on the table at far right are from the Tiny Doll House miniature store, still located on East 78th Street in New York City!
The two figurines in the foreground -- Alice in Wonderland and the Japanese woman – are painted by Robert Olszewski. I purchased them at the Miniature Makers store in Birmingham, MI. The original shop, started by Barbara Blauman, was where I took many wonderful classes and was the meeting place of the miniature group that I still belong to: the Wee Bees.
The last two items were both purchased at Pinocchio’s in Frankenmuth, MI. They include: the Victorian-style Bespaq chair at right and the magnificent paint set – complete with paints, brushes and drawers that open -- crafted by British artisans Rosie Duck.
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From Jennifer Lockhart:
I have 2 quarter scale shops to share - the Twig&Rose flower shop (a customized Jane Harrop kit) and the Yankee Doodle (Karen Benson kit). I enjoyed making each of these because of all the little things you can throw into them to give it your own spin. For example, inside the Yankee Doodle are some American folk art pieces and if you were to look closely you'd see some nods to Over the Garden Wall with framed images of Greg and his brother Wirt.
Shops are a great way to showcase collections.
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From Jane Holbrook:
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From Larry Herman:
"Half Scale Ye Olde Nordstrom" structure.
I originally created this piece for several NAME members as a class project in California in 1996. The prototype was designed to resemble the Nordstrom department store, known for its high-end merchandise and in-store pianists. Although Nordstrom has since discontinued live music in its retail locations, we have retained the piano in this model.
The piece features a piano by The Kennedy’s and dolls by Loretta Kazan. Most of the clothing and hats were created by Bauder Pine, and the furniture is by Bespaq.
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From Samantha Murray:
One inch scale shop created to house my collection of Andrea Fabriga pottery and other unusual artisan items that had no home. Structure was a workshop with Bluette Maloney. Artists included Nicole Walton Marble, Troy Schmidt, Amanda Skinner, Kummerow, and many others I can’t remember. Items were collected over 20+ years.
