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DollHouse BRAZIL

NEWSLETTER

This fair/show is still huge and the major companies related to crafts 'industry' are sure to be found there. The best thing this year is that miniatures were a constant presence, everywhere. Despite the lack of an organized movement, they did conquered their deserved space in it.

There were mock-ups at display throughout the place, miniatures made with recycled materials. Several manufacturers now hold products aiming miniature framed displays. Purists might not like those, but they actually come in handy for those who don't feel like making everything from scratch, for beginners, or for those who just want some details to complete their own settings.

Among those manufacturers, you'll find Metalúrgica Antunes, with some metal pieces like pots and other stuff, and also miniature nails, screws, and hinges. Du Látex provides us with supplies to make our own silicon molds, but they also sell some ready-made push-molds that fit perfectly our needs: they have water fountain bottle, gas cylinder used in our kitchens, tea sets... Siquiplás makes supplies to make silicon molds, resin and other items (paint, brushes, glue, etc). The more traditional ones Florbrás, Fabrikota and Art Náutica were also there. Read more about what they had in store for us:

MiniMega Gathering was arranged for this year. Some miniaturists did meet informally before ant at MegaArtesanal. We all, naturally, visited Anynha Miniaturas & MiniMárcia's stand. It was easy to find, as it was usually the crowdest one in that "street"!

And having super-nice Marcia, Vivane and Abraão attending customers, plus the great quality of their products, it could not have been any different!!

There where fabulous mock-ups by Adhemir Fogassa all over the place. Right at the main entrance there was the majestic Taj Mahal aweing incoming visitors. You can also find his Hanging Gardens of Babilon, the Pantheon, the Arch of Triumph, and the Pelourinho - historical place in Salvador, Bahia.

“A Banda”, made of forks by Samuel Silva Santos, got an award. Also at display there was another music band “Miniatura de Banda Musical”, by Diego Meira Rocha, and a rustic kitchen “Cozinha da Roça” by Sandra and José Eduardo de Araújo, both made of recycled materials.

In various stands you could find some interesting suggestions for settings. One made out of paper only, by Vlady, and another one using a technique called French Art (3D decoupage).

They have been a 'partner' and supplier to miniaturist for a long time. It was one of my favorite stands. And gladly escorted there as many miniaturist friends as I could. We were all amazed by the quality of their 1:12 miniatures. We were enthusiastic in our praises: "you are getting really better in making them!" To our surprise, they all looked quite puzzled by our compliment...

This is how we found out that there are miniatures in the market being sold as theirs but they ARE NOT!!! Check the pictures here and see how different they are! Florbrás products always come in a wrapping with their brand, very easy to ID.

There's only one thing I didn't like about them: they should make MORE products aiming 1:12 miniature market!!! :)

Even though they were exclusively in the wholesale business - currently they already sell retail online - they have been making several MDF furniture in miniature, roomboxes, diorama frames, and even launched a true dollhouse at the fair.  I guess the demand didn't pay off, as it's no longer listed on their website... :(

Their resin pieces are perfect to make framed sets, as all you'll have to do is paint them. Even details like books and flowers are already included in the shelves, and towels and lamps on the tables. You won't find a better deal if you're a beginner or if you want to complete a set fast and easily.

As the fair/show itself, many aspects are still great or have even improved when compared to last year:

Positive Aspects

• A LOT of stores and manufacturer showrooms, all kinds of arts were well represented.
• Many benches here and there so that when you get tired of so much walking, you could sit and rest for a while to recover energy to resume the visiting.
• The possibility to watch accomplished artist in the process of creating: sculptors, painters painting on canvases, fabric, several materials, and a lot more.
• New ways to access the courses were devised: by buying a kit grants a class; rotation system (stay in line behind the current 'student', when she/he is done, it'll be your turn); buy a certain number of their items (wherever inside the show) and choose from one of their classes. Dremel doubled their courses space. Even I managed to make two of them! :)
• Almost all restrooms are for the ladies. For the men, only one. That's only FAIR!! :)
• The shuttle vans take you to the entrance, saving you for the long walk from last year.

Aspects to Improve

• The shuttle back and forth the subway station still stops far from the station istelf. We had to walk up a very dark street, which made people very insecure, especially those unfamiliar with the city. Also, they should rethink vans and trade them up for buses. By the end of the day, the line is HUGE. I usually gave up and decided to walk all the way... Very tiresome, but better than just wait...
• Food court always crowded... and way too expensive! Oh, and still no healthy options at sight...
• The ticket and parking are way too expensive for Brazilian standards... It gets even worse if someone decides to come back again another day - the fair lasts 5 days. Is it so hard to provide a kind of 'passport' for the full 5 days with a special discount?
• Most stores had the same prices inside the show as their regular store prices... Most manufacturers wouldn't sell there as an imposition from the stores - they didn't like the competition.... That would make it worth shopping there only for those who were not from the city (Sao Paulo) and would have a lot of trouble to get to all those stores in such a 'short' time - you have no idea how 'gigantic' Sao Paulo is and how time-consuming going around really is!
• It was still a struggle to get into each store: huge and slow-moving lines... And inside them the space to move was even smaller... Again, a discount voucher valid throughout the month to be spent at their regular stores wouldn't be a bad idea to make shopping easier!

As I said before, Dremel has doubled their classes area, and they also placed several demo stands on their 'lounge' area. But hold on before buying any Dremel in the show. Dremel items usually cost 3 to 4 times more here than in the US... - but the stores in the show are from cities other than São Paulo, and even the local one has a strict return/exchange/policy - they'll only exchange items bought at that specific store! So, my advice is: only buy anything if you already know their whole line of products and you are already sure of what will fulfill your needs. Also, if you decide to buy anything there, double check their policy for returns and exchanges (post-show).