We are delighted to showcase MGM Fairs with our Commitment to Excellence Award.
Back in the Autumn of 1998 a mother and daughter partnership, Aileen and Gail Tucker, started out as Merry Gourmet Miniatures, makers producing Authentic Period Food for dollshouses. 10 years later they then branched into fair organisation, as MGM Fairs, which they have been doing for the last 26 years.
“I organise specialist dolls house and miniature fairs catering to a hobby that has been getting stronger over the years. We find venues in locations, ideally some that are not well served by other shows and plan a fair, usually at least a year ahead. Dolls house makers, artisans and traders then attend those shows and sell their items to a keen customer base. Although we are based in Devon our shows are dotted all over the UK.” added Gail.
Over the last six years, Gails niece Rebecca and her husband Shaun Egan have also helped out with the running of the business, and only last year launched their own collection of Dolls House and Miniature Shows, trading as Miniature Fairs. Running as a sister company to MGM Fairs, Rebecca and Shaun are starting 10 new shows in 2025 in Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire and Kent which will add more accessibility to miniatures, for their visitors.
MGM have also booked a new venue at the Hilton Hotel in Chesterfield South, Sheffield to hold their first show in this area, on Sunday 6th July 2025.
Both businesses are run as specialist fairs offering hobbyist’s opportunities to interact with craftsmen, artisans, clubs and like-minded people. Most of the items are in the scale of 1:12th, but they also cater to customers who want 1:24th and 1:48th scale items. The shows offer the customers a chance to not only see and handle the items, but to check out the quality and price before they buy, plus giving them an opportunity to talk to other people in the hobby to exchange tips and ideas. Not all traders have websites, so the only way customers see their lovely work is by coming to a fair.
“Some people love to build the houses, put in the electrics or create unique projects like garages, windmills and shops, whereas others like to furnish the houses dedicating them to a certain time period like Victorian or Tudor,” added Gail.
What makes MGM so unique is that alongside Miniature Fairs, they can deliver more shows in more areas around the UK, making the hobby more accessible.
“Between the two of us, we shall hold 22 shows in 2025 some well-established, such as in Stafford, Leeds, Exeter and Lyndhurst, some just getting started such as Bristol and Oxford, and some brand-new ones in Swaffham, Maidstone, Navenby, Charminster and Sheffield. For all our show dates you need to check out our websites. This has been a hobby for many for over 40 years, but recently we have seen a real increase in interest, both with new traders and for visitors attending our shows.”
MGM Fairs is always looking for new traders, however, because it is an incredibly niche market, they do not accept traders selling, toys, collectables, teddies or big dolls, only items that are for, or related to, dolls houses and miniatures.
For more information on any of the businesses mentioned, see below.
T 01837 680152
enquiries@mgmfairs.co.uk
www.mgmfairs.co.uk
www.miniaturefairs.co.uk
www.merrygourmetminiatures.co.uk