Hat’s on Miniatures is a newcomer to Miniatura On Line, but certainly not a newcomer to the world of miniatures. Jan and Barry of Cambridgeshire have been organising dolls house fairs for well over 20 years and before that they organised antiques fairs. “We aren’t makers, we don’t have the skills for that,” emphasised Barry. “But we collect and sell individual pieces made by highly skilled craftspeople and Jan has been an avid collector of 1:12 scale dolls houses and miniatures since she was 5 years old.”
After more than two decades of running fairs, everything came to a grinding halt with the onset of the pandemic and the lockdown in March 2020. As we all know, fairs and exhibitions were halted and businesses and dealers found themselves unable to continue trading, so enthusiasts turned to the internet for virtual events.
While Jan and Barry had already created a website where they could display and sell their dolls house collector’s items, the lockdown created the necessity of providing a website that offered a good experience for customers to browse for their next dolls house accessory or piece of furniture. Thus Hat’s on Miniatures was created, with the emphasis on affordable, handmade items of every description.
Quality and handcrafted is key at Hat’s On Miniatures
The Hat’s on Miniatures’ website has a wonderful variety of miniatures, including gardening, food, lingerie, toys, dolls, horse-drawn vehicles, artwork, ornaments and much more. Additionally, there’s a range of 1:24 scale miniatures, also pre-loved and vintage. And throughout, the emphasis is strongly on the handmade, quality collectable. The furniture for example is handcrafted, fine quality furniture made by skilled artisans. These include Tudor style, inlaid and geometric and Oriental style pieces. In a way, browsing their website is reminiscent of wandering around an interesting antique shop.
Of particular note is a private collection of fine, inlaid furniture crafted by the late Mr Alf Larraman of A L Miniatures, each piece signed by the maker. They also have many items from retired Dolly’s Daydreams exhibitors, including Apollo Miniatures, Homestead Dolls House Miniatures, Nordwain, Eileen’s Dolls and ‘Made with Love’. Barry says, “Without exception, they were highly regarded miniaturists and their work was of the highest quality.”
Take a look at the wide variety of lovely, quality items on Janice and Barry’s website: www.hatsonminiatures.com
Contact them at: hatsonminiatures@btinternet.com