The venue is great - York race course. It is easy to find as the race course and the show are well sign posted. It is is a large building and spread over three floors so you never feel hemmed in. There are enough vendors to fill a 10 'til 4 day. Somewhere to eat - not great food but it is doable and at least it is on site. Another couple of snack/drinks areas so you can just sit and take a breather.
I think it has a good spread of things to buy - reasonable prices and still a heap of the more unusual stuff. The organisers try to make it 80% hand made by the trader so there isn't a ton of obvious imported stuff there but it isn't super high end collectors pieces that most of us can only admire and not buy.
My first find of the day was a wonderful trio from New Zealand who were just friends and members of a miniatures club who were covering Audrey's bucket list and selling miniatures at a UK show was on it! That said they had some of the very best things in the whole show - such talent - wish I had taken more pictures./ The leather books make by a book-binder were glorious.
There are also useful folk like J & A Supplies where I get my wood stuff, Jennifer of Walsall who is my absolute starting place for stuff. It is a great cheap tools place with the unfortunate name of S & M Tools.
They always have a workshop of some sort, often at less than the cost of the kit you are working on! and usually a talk by Jane Harrop who is generous enough to share her methods with you.
This show had Ladies Mile Miniatures doing an hibiscus flower kit. I did it and was thrilled with the result.
Most of all I find it a great show to shop at. When you think I went to Miniatura (yes, I love that too) but didn't buy very much yet, at York I came away with thirty-six things and ordered up a couple of things and discussed a couple of 'commissions'. Case proved.
If you want to look inside the parcels you'll need to go to my Willows blog
For all my photos from the show there is a link in the left margin of this blog. Sorry it isn't a great collection I didn't need many for the DH&MS article so, like a chump, forgot to take them for myself.
