Paige of Beacon Hill—Welcome!

Tucked into a cabinet on the first floor of Beacon Hill Books and Café, behind a window, is the home of Paige, the squirrel who lives in the store. This, and following posts, will show you how it came to be.

First, a quick history. The store itself begins with Melissa Fetter, the owner and mastermind behind Beacon Hill Books and Café. As she was designing the interior, she imagined a squirrel mascot who might live in the store, exploring its interior and voraciously reading the books it holds. She connected with award-winning picture book author/illustrator Sarah S. Brannen, who created the picture book Paige of Beacon Hill. She also imagined a dedicated space within the store where Paige lived—and Sarah Brannen suggested me to create the miniatures. What followed was a six-month dive into tiny objects, building the space you see above. Everything within it is hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind.

I wanted Paige’s home to feel like a real dwelling, not like a dollhouse interior—as if Paige has just popped out for a minute, with everything lying around just as she left it. That meant that all of the objects had to be finely detailed—that they didn’t become coarse or clumsy when you viewed them up close.

The following posts will detail the builds for many of Paige’s possessions. Enjoy!