After some experimentation it looks possible that the shop may return. I had a shop years ago which vanished when I got a new laptop.
Subsequently the S&H designed a new shop for me, the icons for which you can see above but he never got round to showing me how to do it and then forgot. However, I have done a bit of photography which alarmingly shows considerably more than you’ll ever see with the naked eye and the S&H has added a zoom tool which enables you to almost see the atoms.
I recall years ago at a Miniatura, exhibitors being scared witless by a visitor walking round some way behind a magnifying glass the size of a cathedral. It is a worry when you’ve looked at anything you’re making, to have someone who didn’t make it scrutinise it atomically.
These days not only am I rather more accepting of my imperfections, I have now interviewed actual hundreds of artisans working in all disciplines and know that hand made is just that. Moreover I believe that, unless the upcoming generation value the skill of hand and eye, we’ll be in for a future where things are made by robot controlled by AI and everything will look perfect, be orderable by the thousand and mean nothing. There are enough instances of this in the commercial world for you to sniff out the truth.
I look at my own collection which never reached a dolls house but lives in a twelfth scale breakfront cabinet on my one scale mantelpiece. Each hand made item contains a bit of the soul of the person, each of whom I know or knew and is them in an artefact.
If the shop gets made and is there for use (and you’ll know quite soon) everything will be a one-off, even if it’s been demoulded from my moulds. The moulds are made from my sculptures, which come out of my brain via my hands. The subsequent six or seven steps ensure that the doll photographed is the only one like it.
There are two disadvantages to the shop. The first is that I am going to add postage and packing to each order. Under normal circumstances I work for about 40p an hour. If I add tracked postage that will mean I’m working for about half that in some cases. I do want to add tracked postage so you can see the parcel on the way but I’ll do a flat rate which will be a contribution to begin with and much more of just a contribution if postage rises.
The second disadvantage is that I’m only going to be able to post to the UK. I am very sorry but the situation with international taxes, import duties, trade tariffs, reciprocal doodahs and the whole nine yards of selling in another country just make life impossible for one pensioner selling the dolls she’s made to anywhere else in the world except up the road. It would be awful if a dear little doll got impounded at customs or the packaging ripped apart. I would be so upset and so would the buyer. All I can suggest, if you are an international reader, is that if you had a friend in the UK, or knew someone who lived here, other than me, they might be able to buy you something from the shop as a birthday present, for example, and send it to you. I do have friends in other countries who are regular recipients of gifts from me and the only problem I have had is that I never allow enough time for the Christmas post.
There won’t be many items in the shop. The shop is not a commercial venture. Depending on how long it takes me to photograph the item, write it up and transfer all that to the computer and given that each item is a one off, and allowing my generous 40p an hour wage to the employee (me) it might well turn out that I’m working for nothing.
So why am I doing it?
Really for you. I get wishful emails from people unable to visit Miniatura who have read the blog and want a blogged doll. I’ve been getting them ever since the last shop closed.
I’ll tell you when we’re up and running, don’t hold your breath, a lot has to happen before then.
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