Described as the “Ultimate Girl’s Weekend,” Western Canada’s largest women’s show is back for it’s 19th year. The West Coast Women’s Show (WCWS) takes place at TRADEX Trade and Exhibition Centre in Abbotsford, Oct. 18 to 20.
Seven Langley-based vendors will join 400 pop-up businesses, booths, and boutiques all taking part in the event that celebrates the femininity of artisans, crafts, fashion, home decor, health, wellness, travel, and beauty.
Doris Kizinna from World Pilgrim will be one of those vendors; her Fort Langley travel business will be there to discuss international tours to countries like Guatemala, India, Thailand, and Cuba while offering fair trade trinkets for sale.
“We’ve done the West Coast Women’s Show for two years; it’s been good – it’s a huge show,” Kizinna explained. “I really like the idea of fair trade, so we sell items like beaded hummingbirds – items with more significance to people.”
“A lot of artisans are women that we partner with who can earn four or five times a much this way as they would in their own country so they can afford to send their children to school,” Kizinna continued.
Tanya Bilmer of Kitchen Makeovers in Aldergrove said they’ve been part of the show for six years where meet a lot of their clientele.
“About 90 per cent of our customers are women and our staff is made up of about 90 per cent women too. So the show benefits us really well because it is mostly women who we work with wanting to renovate their kitchens,” Bilmer said.
Free Reign, Marie’s Guilt Free Bakery, Simply Delish, Thrive Light Therapy, and Live Well Exercise Clinic are the other Langley-based businesses taking part in the WCWS weekend.
A return of WCWS favourites include the Hall of Flame Calendar Firefighters fashion show/ Martini Night and the cuisine sampling evening World of Taste.
New this year are the Veg Showcase and Sustainable Living Show where guests can sample the latest in vegan and vegetarian food products and discover the tools needed to grow their own produce.
Show manager Murat Olcay said vendors and guests from all over Canada and even the United States will be coming to experience the event, meaning WCWS is a great opportunity for local businesses to find a wide audience.
“We do draw most of our crowds from the Fraser Valley and Langley is a huge part of that audience,” Olcay said. “Groups of women come and make a weekend out of it. There’s a buzz with talking and laughing that just makes it all worth while.”
Canadian performer and humanitarian Bif Naked will hold an intimate conversation on the main stage, Saturday, Oct. 19, through the Women Empowering Women speaker series. Michelle Stafford, aka “Phyllis Summers” from The Young and the Restless, will speak on Sunday, Oct. 20.
Chef Massimo Capra from Chopped: Canada and Top Chef Canada will also be live on the Chef’s Kitchen Stage.
Read More: Many Langley vendors at Women’s Show
Discounted tickets for $10 per day for adults are available at www.westcoastwomen.net, where exhibitor and entertainment information can be found.
“It’s about feeling empowered and that the show has substance,” Olcay added. “We want to make sure that it’s not just fluff and that women are walking away feeling empowered and getting motivated.”
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