Miniatures: A fascinating, new journey
Personally I have always liked small things; I am
small in stature and have always been pressed for space
living in variety of postage stamp-sized Manhattan
apartments where space is a privilege. Over the years I
have assembled a treasure trove of items from my
travels, siftings through flea market bins, New England
gift shops and mementos of important events for
anything that could be displayed with pride from a
hook or ribbon on my Christmas tree or as a knickknack on a shelf. Yet it is only recently that I have
embarked on a historical, artistic and philosophical
look at man’s fascination with the miniature art form.
The catalyst for this investigation is the result of the
lifelong passion and Act II career of my dear friend,
Darren T. Scala, creator of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures
located in Ha stings -on-Hudson, Ne w York, a
picturesque town in the historic lower Hudson River
Valley.
The first time Darren came to my home for a
dinner party he immediately spotted a miniature
ceramic milk jug displayed on a small shelf in my
entrance hall. He quickly asked me if I was a
miniature fan; I confessed that I always wanted a
dollhouse as a kid and thus the multi-year dialogue
commenced. Over the next five years Darren shared
his personal journey as a miniature aficionado,
collector and artisan-in-training specializing in the
creation of miniature furniture, all culminating with his
career change from international cosmetics executive
to entrepreneur/small business owner and miniatures
Darren T. Scala
spokesperson.
Rethink Dollhouse™
The realization of achieving so many of his career
objectives and life goals as a brand marketer in several
international beauty product categories posed the
ultimate wake-up call for Darren’s next adventure.
After much soul searching, research and a tremendous
amount of chutzpah (typical for a Brooklyn-born man),
Darren wrote the ultimate business plan for his career’s
Act II – creation of a new business to showcase the
role of fine scale miniatures as a decorative art,
D. Thomas Fine Miniatures
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THE CONE - ISSUE #5 - SUMMER 2015