When Shopping goes Bazaar

Falling short of the goal to raise nearly $2000, the planner of the first “Lady’s Afternoon Out” on November 2, still feels hopeful for the future. The proceeds from the shopping bazaar were supposed to go to pay for a lawyer in a child custody case for a local woman from Finksburg, Maryland.

When Nancy Brown, a resident of Littlestown, Pennsylvania, heard of the legal battle her sister was in, she jumped into action. Brown quickly planned an event at the Carroll County Agricultural Center to raise funds for a lawyer.

Her sister, Amber Hagert, is seven months pregnant and fighting to keep her unborn son after threats came from the child’s father to assume full custody after the birth. The parents currently have a peace order in place, which bars any communication other than through lawyers.  

Brown was optimistic of having about 200 customers throughout the day but realized only a handful present. She feels the county and facility regulations kept her from doing more to publicize the event.

“I think we could have advertised better…with people thinking about the failing economy we had a lot of work to do,” says the exhausted sister.  

“Being a non-profit group is something I am looking into,” says Brown. Another obstacle Brown and Hagert face is their status. They are not a non-profit group, so they were not able to have any door prizes or raffles at the event. Brown feels having these things could have helped them to draw more customers in the door.  

“As little customers as there were, vendors did not regret coming in. I believe they really wanted to help Amber and other women like her. I do too,” Brown divulges. Her goal is to have this event again in the future to help other women in the same situation.

“With the little money we made, I just told Nancy to keep it because she put in so much and got nothing in return,” says Hagert as she ponders what her next step will be in raising the money.

One customer, 22 year-old Timothy Dadourian of Hanover, Maryland, said the event “was very organized but could have used more publicity.”

The sisters are not ready to throw in the towel yet, however. They currently are in the process of organizing another fundraiser in the coming months. They plan on working with a deli shop in Hanover, Pennsylvania, which gives back locally. At a pre-determined time, the shop sells its products and gives the proceeds to groups in need.       

The shopping bazaar brought together 17 vendors from many in-home companies. A few of the companies included: Pampered Chef, Longerberger, Party Lite, Mary Kay and Avon representatives. The event ran from 8-2P.M.