A mini world journey into adulthood

A mini world journey “internationally” into adulthood

In the past, in many countries, adulthood was only reached at the age of 21. For example, in England, the 21st birthday is still celebrated as a significant milestone, even though many age restrictions were removed in 1970 and various rights were transferred to young people who were already 18 years old.

In the United States, however, the age of 21 is still in effect in many states and gives the right to enter the adult world – for better or worse: for example, purchasing alcohol and tobacco, entering nightclubs and casinos, and owning a gun require the age of 21.

In Finland, the age of majority is already 18, but now Minimaailma is also "adult" in terms of age in other parts of the world.

April 20, 2025 Suomen Minimaailma Oy turns 21 years old

What do these birthdays mean to the Mini World entrepreneur?

• The journey of the mini world has already been quite long and there has already been a generation change once along the way.
• Years can hold a variety of results, challenges, and successes, as business cycles and the global economy have ridden up and down like a roller coaster.
• As an entrepreneur, I feel the joy of achievement and a little pride that I have been able to continue the Mini World founded by my mother.
• For this, I would like to thank all our customers, without whom Minimaailma would not have survived this long! 🩷

Products and services according to customer needs:

Suomen Minimaailma is Finland's oldest company specializing exclusively in dollhouses and miniatures.

The first goal in 2004 was to bring affordable dollhouses and accessories to Finland for hobbyists. This is still Minimaailma's core business idea: competitive dollhouse accessories immediately available, quickly from our Helsinki warehouse. Usually, the postal delivery reaches our customers in Finland within 1–2 business days of ordering.

Due to the wishes of the growing customer base, hand-painted quality furniture, genuine crystal chandeliers and many styles of wallpaper and other surface materials were soon added to the collection. Similarly, tools, glues and landscaping materials suitable for miniature model making were soon felt to be a necessary addition to the selection. Not forgetting, of course, important building supplies for DIY enthusiasts (mouldings and turned beams, windows and doors and a diverse collection of small hardware from screws and nails to handles and taps).

We import dollhouse products to Finland from many European countries (England, France, Spain, Sweden, Germany) and some are also made in Europe. For example, all wallpapers, floors and tiles are printed in Europe, high-quality Reutter porcelain is made in Germany, almost all carpets are authentic Turkish carpets, wooden Kotte Toys modular furniture is made from Finnish plywood in Sweden. Many of the handmade dishes and flowers are handmade in Thailand. A large part of the furniture and dolls are made in the Far East, but purchased from European traders. In recent years, the collection has also received a pleasing number of handmade dishes and textiles in Finland.

The number of items sold has grown from a few hundred dollhouse accessories in the early years to a selection of no less than 7,000 different products. And we are constantly looking for new fun items to add.

Some of the product items have been in our collection for 21 years, while others are no longer available, so new items are regularly added to replace them. The pink house in the background of my parents is one of our all-time favorites for 21 years.

Many moves in both directions:

The Helsinki brick-and-mortar store has already operated in five different business premises. Now the store and most of the online store's inventory are located in Kruununhaka, Helsinki, at Liisankatu 12.

The online store's warehouse has actually been kept in six different locations, as well as in many additional warehouses, at home and in relatives' corners, in total in at least 15 different locations. So we've accumulated a little too much experience with "miniature moves"!

Coexistence of online and brick-and-mortar stores

 The online store was established right in the first year, even though at the time there was great doubt: "Who would buy such inspirational products from a computer or mobile phone screen?"

When Minimaalima was founded, you couldn't yet perform very advanced operations on your mobile phone. Today, online shopping is overwhelmingly browsed on mobile phones, and the majority of orders are placed via mobile phones or tablets.

In November 2024, we migrated that original online store to a completely new platform to stay current and be able to offer a better shopping experience, as well as manage orders and shipments more efficiently.

The role of social media has grown year by year and is an important part of interacting with dollhouse enthusiasts. Minimaailma's Facebook and Instagram accounts aim to inspire and delight followers with dollhouse-themed posts. We are also celebrating the "international" coming of age on social media.

You can follow us
Facebook
INSTAGRAM

Through email marketing, we share news with a large customer base who may not even be on social media.

Subscribe to our customer newsletter here

Digitalization and consumer behavior have changed enormously over the past 21 years. While online shopping initially accounted for less than 5% of total sales, today it probably accounts for over 90% of Minimaailma's revenue. The ratio changed dramatically, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and visits to brick-and-mortar stores have not yet returned to normal.

Shops specializing in dollhouses are starting to be a disappearing resource worldwide. Many European capitals don't have a single miniature shop, but in our little Finland there is! As far as I understand, the Finnish Mini World's high street shop is the only one of its kind in the entire Nordic countries. As an entrepreneur, of course, I hope that there will be enough customers and that I can offer experiences to both families with children and adult enthusiasts face-to-face in a real old-fashioned shop.

Why buy from a Finnish company?

There are many other merchants around the world, perhaps with different offerings or even cheaper prices than in Finland. When you buy from a Finnish company, you directly and indirectly contribute funds to the Finnish economy in many ways:

We pay 25.5% VAT on all prices of Minimaailma products. In addition, we pay 20% corporate income tax on the profit and entrepreneur's income tax on the salary I raise. State tax revenue is used to run our society – for example, healthcare, social benefits, pensions, education, culture, infrastructure, the armed forces and the environment. 

As a Finnish company, we use Finnish services, the payments for which also end up in the Finnish economy and do not flow abroad. For example, the company's banking services, accounting, online shopping payment services, company and entrepreneur insurance, shipping materials, postage, electricity and telecommunications costs, and rent for business premises and warehouses are all Minimaailma's expenses, the payments for which end up in Finnish companies and, through their taxes, again benefit our society. 

When we import goods from abroad, we pay customs duties and taxes in Finland. For freight, the payments go either to a large Finnish operator or sometimes to international courier companies, such as DHL, UPS and FedEx, but even in these cases, the payments most often go through an office in Finland and the employees working as couriers pay their income tax in Finland. 

April 2025 is a huge month of celebration!

There are lots of offers online and in store throughout the month.

All orders over €30 made after 4th of April will receive a store topper to celebrate. The first 50 customers will receive a bucket with their purchase, and after that, a new store topper will be invented for subsequent purchases. This campaign applies to both online and in-store orders. Valid until our real birthday on the 20th of April!

See all offers here !