Ready to shop ‘till you drop?

Annual NWA Boutique Show ready to wow shoppers

K.C. Pummill is ready to see eight to 10-thousand of her closest friends. K.C., who produces the annual Northwest Arkansas Boutique Show with her team of 10 friends, said they are ready to go. “People make it a part of their their holiday tradition,” she said of the show that draws a 99-percent female crowd. “We see the same faces every year. People come over from Tulsa and up from Little Rock and down from Missouri. We have 150 merchants each year and we feature thousands of oneof-a-kind custom items including home decor, gifts, clothing, gourmet food, holiday items and art. You name, it’s there. Women come from all around the region. They are great.” Occasionally, however, a random man will appear at the show. “There is always a poor guy that gets drug along,” she said, laughing. “We’re like… ‘Poor guy, there’s a special place in heaven for you.’” Typically held in early November at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale, and with more than 150 merchant vendors on site, K.C. said that you can get a lot of shopping done on a single day and get ahead of the Christmas holiday. This year’s event is set for Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18. “It’s the unofficial start of the holiday season,” she said. “You are going to save time and gas if you just come to this one event. Shop here and get all of your Christmas shopping done.”

For a good cause, or two

Not only do the thousands of ladies shopping have a great time and get reacquainted, the event raises funds for several causes including the Junior League of NWA, Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary and Fayetteville Junior Civic League. On Friday morning, they kick off the show with their VIP Shopping Event with a portion of proceeds benefiting The Junior League of NWA. Then they slip into general admission hours from 11am - 5pm. At 5:00 p.m., the lights go down and the fun goes up during the Girls Night Out event with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Fayetteville Junior Civic League. “We usually have the first sighting of Santa at our Salvation Army event fundraiser,” she said. “On Saturday we have an event that benefits the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary and it’s called Cookies with Santa. There is no charge besides the general admission and the moms take photos with Santa and he’s got his sleigh. There are fabulous cookies.” The evening before another one-off event supports another cause. “At 5pm on Friday we always say that ‘The lights go down and the fun goes up.’” K.C. explained. “We shift gears with Girl’s Night Out,” K.C. said. “We have great sponsors, a DJ and cash bar. It’s just really a fun atmosphere and there is shopping, too.” Girls Night Out benefits the Fayetteville Junior Civic League. K.C. said that the show continues to draw a great group of merchants. “People say ‘It’s like Pinterest with walls,’” she said. “It’s like Pinterest just popped off my computer screen and it’s right here in my face. We hear that a lot and I love it. That’s pretty unique. It’s always a really fun reunion. Everyone is in a good mood and it’s a great shopping event.”

Want to go?

Schedule of NWA Boutique Show events: Friday, November 17th - VIP Shopping 9am – 11am. $20 online and $25 at the door. - General Admission Shopping from 11am-5pm. $5 at the door. - Girl’s night Out 5pm-9pm. $12 online. $15 at the door. Saturday, November 18th - General Admission Shopping 9am – 6pm. $5 at the door. - Cookies with Santa 10am – 2pm. Donations to Salvation Army.

Go to nwaboutiqueshow.com or visit them on Facebook at Facebook.com/NWA-Boutique-Show for more information.