Small Scale, Big Impact: Brattleboro Turns Tiny in Month-Long Miniature Festival

Visit Brattleboro this holiday season and explore more than 80 store windows brimming with magical miniature scenes — darling dollhouses, tiny terrariums and even steaming model trains. Stroll through unique local shops and browse a pop-up artisan holiday market for stocking stuffers galore and sample tasty treats, from mini bagels to tiny tapas, at Brattleboro's one-of-a-kind restaurants. Throughout the month, enjoy a delightful lineup of events, including puppet shows, tea parties, mini baking contests and the enchanting Museum of Tiny Things. Don't miss the restored Victorian dollhouse filled with the original work of 100 miniature artisans! "I have been working with miniatures since I was a child. I had a dollhouse that came back to me after going to my niece, my daughter and my stepdaughter. I started working on it and then worked on another dollhouse and created a crafting club that we comically termed, 'Dollhouse Clubhouse,'" explained Melany Kahn, creator of the festival. Members of the club did various crafts together, but most were miniatures. Kahn and her group aspired to showcase their creations in downtown gallery windows, and with help from the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance, the idea blossomed into a month-long celebration — transforming downtown into a whimsical world of miniatures. Local businesses will feature tiny displays in their windows all month long, with many events tying into the theme. "Everybody was getting and catching this mini fever and getting really excited about it. The creativity coming from downtown business owners using this theme of scale that would work into ideas to showcase what they do as business owners," said Kate Trzaskos, executive director of the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance. "The dollhouse concept really grew beyond the dollhouse in the ways that folks viewed it. For us it is also this concept of Brattleboro going small in a big way — a double meaning in supporting small local businesses," added Trzaskos. The festival officially kicks off on Dec. 5 with the annual Holiday Tree Lighting, marking the start of the winter season. That same evening, the Market on Main opens in the old Sam's building, featuring more than 60 local vendors. Now in its second year, the market includes artisans, food vendors and special programming — plus window displays of miniatures and a model train running on a set schedule. An interactive element adds to the fun: visitors can vote for their favorite miniature window display. "It's a competition among the store owners with cash prizes, big ribbons and bragging rights. Many of them are taking it quite seriously and very humorously," said Trzaskos. "These windows are going to be quirky and creative, with nothing coming out of an Amazon box." Brattleboro Festival of Miniatures Calendar of Events November 28: Opening of Small Works at Mitchell Giddings Fine Arts, featuring "The Painted Lady," dollhouse filled with miniature works by over 100 artists; opening of Winter Market at HatchSpace. November 29: Tasty TinkerLab Cooking/Crafting Class (Brattleboro Food Co-op and Brattleboro Museum and Art Center); opening of The Museum of Things Tiny and Found at Latchis Gallery; Holiday Makers Workshop at River Gallery School. December 3: Flowerpot-Saucer Gardens for Fairy Folk Workshop and Miniature Masterpiece Flash Fiction Contest at Brooks Memorial Library. December 5: Gallery Walk and Holiday Tree Lighting; opening of Market on Main. December 6: Gingerbread Barn and Mini Cookie Contests at Retreat Farm; Mini-Crankie Puppet-Making Workshop with Sandglass Theater at Brooks Memorial Library. December 12: Sandglass Theater's Nativity Shadow Play; opening night of "Little Women," at New England Youth Theatre; opening of "The Nutcracker Ballet," at Brattleboro School of Dance. December 13: Mad Hatter Tea Party with moving model trains at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center; second weekend of Market on Main. December 14: Sandglass Theater's Fritzi's Flea Circus. December 19: Opening of King Wenceslas by Vermont Suitcase Company. December 20: Spirit Houses exhibition of dollhouses decorated by 13 area schools at the Boys and Girls Club of Brattleboro; final weekend of Market on Main. For more information and volunteer signups, visit www.brattleboro.com/downtown/miniboro.