It's no small irony that having enough space is one of the biggest challenges for collectors of miniatures.
Pat Arnell knows.
The Tucson resident has been collecting miniatures for more than 30 years, accumulating so many that her husband built a separate building on their residential property to house all of them. For several years, she's allowed various groups and miniatures enthusiasts to tour the space.
Now Arnell is putting the finishing touches on a 15,560-square-foot museum near East Camp Lowell Drive and North Swan Road to share her collection with the public.
The Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures is slated to open by the beginning of next month.
When it does, people will be able to tour three galleries — one dedicated to fantasy, one to antiques and one to various parts of the world — and learn about history, architecture and the love of miniatures.
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Arnell already has an education director scheduling programs for children, adults and school groups, and as with any museum, she is looking for docents and is offering perks to people who sign up for annual memberships.
The museum will feature almost 200 houses and "room boxes," each with dozens or even hundreds of individual tiny pieces completing various scenes. Some pieces date back to the 1700s.
"I probably started thinking about a museum three or four years ago," Arnell said during a walk-through at the almost-complete museum last week.
When the elder of Arnell's two daughters — both now in their 40s — moved out of the house several years ago, Arnell began putting miniatures in the daughter's old bedroom and quickly filled it.
Her husband, Walter, said he didn't want every room in the house to be like that, so he added the extra building on their property for the miniatures.
Her daughters still live in the Tucson area and have helped with the museum as plans have come together, Arnell said.
"I think they think I'm a bit crazy," she said.
Meanwhile, members of the Tucson miniatures community are on the edges of their seats waiting for the museum to open.
"It's a nice showcase to show Tucson what miniatures are, and to showcase miniatures," said Cindy Hinske, owner of Miniature Memories, 3516 E. Grant Road.
Hinske has been meeting with Arnell and her staff to work out cross-marketing efforts between the museum and her store, which is not too far away, she said.
They'll be distributing brochures for each other and are working on a plan that allows for a museum discount if you show a receipt from the store, and vice versa.
Gail St. Clair, president of the Tucson Miniatures Society, said the museum will be "a feather in the cap of Tucson."
Arnell is well known in the miniatures world, she said.
"When Pat Arnell does something, she's going to do it right," St. Clair said.
The miniatures society is having its annual miniatures show in October, and St. Clair hopes having the museum in the area will draw people to the show from out of state.
There are fewer than 20 miniatures museums in the United States, and two big ones have closed in the past year, she said.
"I've got a feeling Pat Arnell's is probably the shining star," she said.
"Plan on spending a whole day. Plan on spending two days, because you'll be on overload."
If you go
• What: The Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures.
• When: Opens in late August or early September.
• Where: 4455 E. Camp Lowell Drive.
• Cost: $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 children, free for children 3 and under.
• Web site: www.theminitimemachine.org
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