The Portage Township YMCA is hosting an event called Celebrate Women Craft and Vendor Fair in their gymnasium on Thursday and Friday, April 28th and 29th, from 9:00am to 8:00pm each day. Admission is free and the public is encouraged to attend and shop for specialty products from the smallest of the mom-and-pop shops run by local individuals. Vendors will be selling everything from Dove Chocolate to Mary Kay to Tupperware to free chair massages and everything in between—items not available at major retailers. Attendees can enter to win free YMCA memberships, free vendor baskets, and other prizes.
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, shoppers have an opportunity to surprise the special women in their lives with unique gifts that one can typically only buy if she attends a special sales demonstration, usually hosted at a friend’s home, or personally knows someone that handcrafts items like jewelry or quilts. “It’s like attending 30 home parties in a matter of minutes” says the Y’s fund development director, Jan Zurek. “I will buy my mom some Norwex, my mother-in-law a homemade sports-themed throw, and my best friend something from Pink Zebra or Scentsy. I will probably end up buying more than I plan for myself too since there are so many new companies attending with which I am not yet familiar.”
Zurek continues, “The show’s vendors are our neighbors, friends, and family members. The majority of them have regular jobs. Many are mothers trying to earn a little extra cash for their families. Since they live, work, and sell their wares in Northwest Indiana, the money they make stays in our local economy. This craft and vendor fair is good for everyone: the sellers, the buyers, the gift recipients, and the Portage Y.”
For questions about the fair or requests for vendors applications, please contact Jan Zurek at (219) 762-9622 or jan@ymcaofportage.org.