Labor of Love

The 38th annual Philadelphia Miniaturia show and sale has special meaning for a Langhorne, Pa., mother and daughter.

By: Jillian Kalonick
   To explain how she got into the world of miniatures, Pat Bauder of Langhorne, Pa., always tells the story of her daughter Kimberly’s first dollhouse. With an interior designed by Kimberly’s uncle and tiny furniture and draperies handcrafted by her grandmother, it was a labor of love — and Kimberly promptly broke all its pieces, repeatedly.
   "My mom would repair everything, and after so many times of doing it, she started making miniatures and selling them at shows," says Kimberly Appleby, who now lives just down the street from her mother in Langhorne. For more than 20 years, her mother has been at the helm of Philadelphia Miniaturia, which will hold its 38th annual show and sale in Cherry Hill Nov. 4 and 5.
   Each year the show has a theme and holds a silent charity auction. Before last year’s show was over, Ms. Bauder and Ms. Appleby, who helps her mother run the show, decided on the theme "Best Foot Forward" for 2006. They decided the charity auction would benefit the Delaware Toy and Miniature Museum and the Fox Chase Cancer Center, whose services had helped Ms. Bauder’s husband three years ago as he was dying of cancer.
   They had no idea when they made those choices how apropos it would be, says Ms. Appleby. In late September, her mother fell and a CT scan revealed a mass in her brain. After a surgery that left her partially paralyzed on her left side, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive malignant tumor.
   "She’s doing as well as can be expected," says Ms. Appleby. "She needs someone with her all the time, and is really frustrated by that since she’s always been really independent. But her spirits are really good, and she has a good attitude." As her mother is re-learning how to walk, Ms. Appleby says, they both keep thinking "best foot forward."
   "The miniatures community has been so generous," says Ms. Appleby. "Donations for the auction have been pouring in, and we’re just hoping to get the public there so they can buy everything and we can donate the money."
   One of the largest shows in the country, the Philadelphia Miniaturia Show and Sale will host more than 150 miniatures artisans from the U.S. and beyond — Canada, Mexico, England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Spain and Japan. Dollhouses, scale models and replicas, furniture, silver, porcelain, toys and trains will be on display — "anything you can think of that can be miniaturized." Several artisans will be conducting workshops, and a special exhibit will be displayed by the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts. The preview event regularly sells out, and this year Ms. Appleby expects more than 3,000 people at the show. Each show is an exciting one, she says, where a tight-knit community comes together — this year, a family friend will even be getting married at a reception following the show.
   "The miniature community is a really interesting group of people — very detail oriented," says Ms. Appleby. "They’re from all walks of life — people interested in miniatures for the very first time who want to buy for their children, or people that come and buy things that I love to look at, but couldn’t afford or have in the house with my kids. It’s a great place to come to get a first collection started with a little bit of everything."
The 38th annual Philadelphia Miniaturia Show and Sale will be held at the Crowne
Plaza Hotel, 2349 W. Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, Nov. 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Nov.
5, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission costs $6, $3 under 10. Preview: Nov. 3, 6-9 p.m. Admission
costs $25, reg. req. Silent auction: Nov. 4, 1-5 p.m., Nov. 5, 9-11 a.m. For information,
call (215) 702-7116. On the Web: www.philadelphiaminiaturia.com