About The Founder/Miniaturist
Darren is unapologetic about his passion for the tiny for as long as he could remember. He was inspired at an early age by watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on television and fascinated by the tiny objects it featured. At 8 years old, he asked his father, a cabinet maker by trade, to build him a dollhouse. (This was not something a young boy growing up in Brooklyn, New York in the 1970's asked for!). With the love and acceptance of his supportive parents, he was gifted a custom dollhouse which became the springboard for lifelong love of miniatures and the drive to follow his passions without hesitation.
After graduating from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts, he received a degree in communications. A longstanding career with Revlon, Inc., the international consumer products giant, followed. Scala founded D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, the retail store and gallery in the historic lower Hudson Valley, close to New York City, where he began selling quality scale works and curated several exhibitions including BadAss Miniatures and #WeeResist.
Scala says, “I’ve always had a passion for miniatures. There is seduction in scale that ignites wonder. Miniatures truly capture the imagination and provide opportunity to dream, discover and explore. It’s been my joy to create a space where I could introduce miniatures to the public and generate the same level of excitement I have for these pieces."
Today, D. Thomas Fine Miniatures is the online destination for fine scale works via estate sales and auctions. Darren spends most of his time working with collectors and their families in the pursuit of finding new happy homes for their amazing miniatures.
In addition to sharing his History of Miniatures presentation to libraries, clubs and organizations (live and virtually!), Darren hosts an online interview series “Meet The Miniaturist,” where viewers are introduced to and hear from miniaturists from all over the world.
In 2020, Darren appeared as a contestant on The Biggest Little Christmas Showdown, a fierce tournament-style four-part HGTV series competition to build winning miniatures. The show was hosted by Tony Award® winning actor James Monroe Iglehart from Broadway's Aladdin and Hamilton and included a panel of judges including HGTV designer Genevieve Gorder, Dave Asling, best known for his work on Welcome to Marwen, and June Clinkscales, a darling of the mini world. Winning teams advanced to the next round of this cheerful competition and in the final round, the top contenders crafted their most extravagant mini holiday houses ever!
And, for the past several years, Darren has curated an exhibition of holiday miniatures to decorate Nybelwyck Hall, the fantastical dollhouse on permanent view at the Hudson River Museum, in Yonkers, New York.
Darren is an active volunteer and former trustee of IGMA, the International Guild of Miniature Artisans.
In his free time, Darren is a mentor, wish grantor and speaker's bureau volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation Hudson Valley New York Chapter. Oh, and he makes miniatures whenever he can!
