Interview with Jared Waters
Photography by Mini Materials

Jared Waters, owner of Mini Materials, shares how his company kindles the imaginations of builders of all ages and fosters the joy of home design.

What is Mini Materials?
We’re the coolest little company! Think of Mini Materials a bit like a buildingsupply store for people working in miniature. We have small cinder blocks, bricks, lumber, and nearly everything else you’d need to craft unique creations. Dollhouse curators, diorama builders, and so many other enthusiasts assemble miniature worlds and look to us for help in creating them. We also have kits and accessories to bring your designs to life, and we can even print on most of our products for businesses looking to have standout promotional items.

Who founded this company, and what was their inspiration?
A gentleman in Florida founded it. He wanted to buy a mini cinder block but couldn’t find any suppliers, so he made one himself and posted it to Reddit— it went viral there, hitting the front page twice. He then started making more of them in his garage and eventually partnered up with a college friend to build the company.

When I stumbled across one of their Reddit posts, I discovered they were looking to sell the business. So I messaged them and, a few months later, became the owner of Mini Materials.

Who can enjoy your products?
Anyone twelve years old and up can have fun building with us. Most people modeling at this level are adults, but it is also a great family activity. We even have educators using our products in the classroom to teach applied building skills.

Mini Materials is also one of the few miniature companies with a near equal male-to-female demographic split. So if you enjoy puzzles, crafting, and models—or did as a kid—I’d recommend giving miniature building a try. I find it therapeutic and meditative, and I love having something tangible in my hands after a project is done.

What are some of the most creative “builds” you’ve seen?
We showcase builds every month in our newsletter. Some of my favorites are big builds: projects that are small in scale but large in scope. We once sponsored a project where the artist made multistory condos for birds. It was a huge endeavor, and they even created a stop-motion film of it coming together. It’s top-notch!

Another type I love is extra-small builds. Most people build in the 1:12 scale (where one foot equals one inch), but some squeeze entire buildings inside little walnut shells. Other creative builds are those with action figures or toys. There is even an entire subculture where people are blending miniature buildings, paint, videography, and special effects like smoke and explosions to create incredible art pieces with our products.

But some of my favorite builds are the personal ones. For example, one person recreated their grandparents’ hardware store from the turn of the century. Working with authentic base materials gives your imagination maximum room to run!

What makes Mini Materials a great alternative to other miniature building supplies?
I’m happy to see people build in any medium rather than be on screens, so I think any building toys are a great gateway to creating things. It’s been my experience that a lot of people graduate from simple kits and just don’t know what to build next. Mini Materials allows them to create anything. Beyond building supplies, we have to-scale signs and die-cast vehicles too.

How do you personally play with these products?
I’m building and testing new designs all the time! Our company gets some really fun requests for custom items, so I get to spend a lot of time shrinking down all sorts of things. I’m often asked to create tiny versions of industrial equipment for companies’ sales teams, and I just recently made the flooring from a movie for an artist’s miniature recreation. On a more personal level, I also build with my family—we recently made a large toy arena for my son’s birthday that was a big hit!

Why is it important to Mini Materials that these products are made in America?
Miniatures are little time capsules that freeze a place, a scene, or a moment. Authenticity is a big part of capturing that magic, and so many items made overseas are not true to the look and feel of the items we interact with every day in America.

It’s common for several generations to play with a dollhouse that has countless repairs throughout its life. When you are making something that might become a family heirloom, you want to make sure you can control the quality. For us, that means making most of our items by hand right here in Portland, Oregon.

For more info, visit minimaterials.com