'Thinking little' is a big business for former Chinook resident

Reporter's note: I recently learned that Linae Jensen, of rural Chinook, and her friend, Ruth Stewart, had gone to Madrid, Spain last November on a sales trip. Turns out they were at the show in Madrid to sell the miniature items Stewart creates and sells through her Fort Benton-based business called Stewart Dollhouse Creations. The business makes and sells items that enthusiasts use to decorate dollhouses and make miniaturized decorations. It's a big business that thinks small.

Stewart and Jensen have been friends since the early 1990's when Stewart's family lived for a couple of years in the Chinook area. Both were homeschooled and it was through that connection they became friends. Stewart later told that Linae had accompanied her on several previous selling trips to shows and exhibitions. Stewart added, "I really wanted to go to the new show in Madrid. My kids were in school so it wasn't good for them to make that trip. I asked Linae and she agreed to go with me. We love to travel together."

A childhood dollhouse

leads to a business

As a child Ruth Stewart had a tiny, antique metal dollhouse. She said, "I played with it so much the tabs that held it together broke off, then it was lost in a move." Money was tight and she never got another dollhouse.

After marrying, her mother-in-law bought her a kit for a 1:12 scale dollhouse. That means one inch on the dollhouse was the same as 12 inches on a real house. Dollhouse enthusiasts call this size dollhouse 'full scale." Ruth said it took her a year to build the house from the kit, but when done she was "hooked." She began to build accessories-like a fireplace out of grout from a home building supply outlet and inlaid with rocks from a fish aquarium. She made cross stitch tapestries and rugs and crocheted bedspreads. She said, "I couldn't stop."

The next step in adding accessories launched her business. She explained, "I bought some polymer clay, a modeling material that hardens once baked, and began to experiment with making food items-everything from cakes and rolls to vegetables. After making about 30 cakes that I couldn't eat, my husband suggested I try to sell them." She visited a frame shop in Great Falls and showed the owner the items she'd made. The owner bought nearly all the miniatures she had created. She added, "As kids Linae and I had spent hours making life sized, edible cakes. I learned the techniques from Linae, all I had to do was size them down and make them super tiny."

After another shop in Billings bought more items, her husband built a website so she could sell her creations on the internet. Then she began doing two shows a year where she showcased the items she made and took special orders, one show each in Boise and Seattle. The shows helped establish the quality of work she did and she began building a customer base. About five years ago her business began to take off through special orders at shows and sales on the internet.

A full time family business

In 2009 she attended a NAME (National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts) sponsored show in Indianapolis and her work became more widely known. For several years Ruth, and her husband Dan, were ranching while building their 'miniature' business. Because of some health problems Dan's father had, they sold all their cows and began working full time to build the miniature business. Ruth said, "Dan loves to design things and is very good with machinery and computers. We bought a laser cutter and I asked Dan to design and make some tiny doilies to use with my cakes. He went above and creating replicas of antique doilies. We sell 1,000's of those a year."

With Dan's computer knowledge and mechanical ability, they next bought a three dimensional printer. They now have three of those and Ruth said, "Some items are not easily made by hand. The printer allows us to offer more variety of things customers can use in their own creations. But I still make the cakes by hand." Recently they added an injection mold machine but because of the press of orders to fill and shows to attend, they haven't been able to get the mold machine operating. She currently has over 1000 items on her website and tries to fill orders as they come in if premade stock is not completed.

Ruth said about half her business comes from sales and special orders at shows and half from online sales. She described her customers as 'collectors' and 'do it yourself' types who like to make their own items, but need materials and kits, which Ruth also puts together to sell. She does some overseas shows but limits the number of all shows to ones she knows are a good market for her creations. She once did a show on a cruise ship in Germany.

She went to the show in Madrid because, "I felt it would open up some new markets for my products. It was a juried show, meaning exhibitors had to be asked to the show, so it was very upscale and only talented exhibitors were invited." Her customer base is, literally, world-wide as she's shipped to such far flung locations as the Canary Islands and all states in the U.S.

The Madrid show and trip

The Stewart's have two children, seven and four. Ruth said, "My kids grew up going to shows with us. My husband does all the heavy lifting, helping prepare inventory for a show, packing and setting up and taking down our exhibit." Ruth decided to ask Linae Jensen to go with her to Spain. She explained, "Linae is a great traveling companion, she's a big help at shows taking orders and making sales. We have to pick and choose which shows we pull Sophia out school for, even though we have taken the girls on several overseas sales trips. I ask Linae to travel with me to shows more than she is able to get away."

At many shows Ruth also teaches classes for people wanting to make a certain decoration or item, so having extra help to take care of customers is important. She said, "One of the most challenging classes we offer is called 'Vineyard in a Bottle.' It's a 1:48 scale wine shop inside a 3D printed wine bottle designed by Dan. The finished item is completely lit and takes a full two days for a class to complete. I limit the class size to 15 or less so I can help everyone in the class." It took her husband four weeks to design and create the kit.

Doing shows in a foreign country has its challenges. Ruth said, "I take less inventory because of the packing restrictions. Taking payment in Spain was not so difficult because they use the euro." She said a big challenge is the language barrier. In Spain, after the first day, she hired a 'friend of a friend' to translate for customers at the exhibit.

Asked what her most popular items at shows are she said, "Definitely the miniature wedding cakes and the doilies. I always take lots of those and often sell out before a show is over." She even makes custom cakes to order for weddings or other special events.

Despite the challenges of the business, Ruth is very optimistic about her prospects for continued sales and growth. The business has expanded quickly from a fairly small beginning just a few years ago. It seems this is a case where 'thinking small' is paying off.

You can learn more about Ruth Stewart's business and items for sale at stewartdollhousecreations.com. For general information about miniatures, go to the National Association of Miniature's website at miniatures.org (Dan Stewart built this website and is Tech Liaison to the association that supports interest in all sorts of miniatures).