Staff writer
Tamara Christiansen’s booth at Marion County Ladies Fair was a hopping place Saturday, with women trying on clothes and fingering jewelry.
Christiansen, the former owner of Plantations in Marion, said setting up a booth at the Ladies Fair, held at Marion County Lake Hall, was good exposure for her new traveling boutique, “Urbane Soule,” and gave her the opportunity to see familiar faces from the Plantation days.
“I’m seeing a lot of my old customers,” Christiansen said.
Traffic was steady at the booth, where a makeshift dressing room was set up in a corner so customers could check the fit of an item they liked.
Chunky jewelry items were popular as well. Christiansen was not surprised.
“The big, chunky necklaces will always prevail,” she said.
Christiansen said that in the four years she’s operated a traveling boutique, she’s been across the country to shows as far away as Las Vegas.
She made the transition from a Marion storefront to a traveling boutique to get a broader audience and enjoy the different atmosphere of exhibiting at events instead of always in the same shop.
Besides Bohemian styles and jewelry, she offered boot peeps, charms, belts and the like.
In Christiansen’s four years on the road, this was her first exhibit in Marion, she said.
Exhibitor Dainne Cyr, also new this year, talked to customers about the Norwex cleaning supplies she offered.
“It’s a way to get your name and your product out there free of charge,” said Deb Shipman, helping in the booth.
Lori Keener, whose main job is working on her mother’s farm and second job is tax consultant, set up a booth for the first time this year.
“This is my fun job,” Keener said.
She’s been marketing Partylite items for 11 years, since her daughter talked her into trying her hand at it. She stayed with the company because she loves it, Keener said.
There were 19 exhibitors at the Ladies Fair Saturday.
They showed, and sold, items ranging from clothing to jewelry to cleaning items to fitness coaching to handbags.