HAMLET – Young Living essential oils, Norwex safe cleaning products, pottery, jewelry, singing and more awaited visitors to the Ladies’ Day Out at the Cole Auditorium on Saturday. Outside, the temperatures were chilly and the skies gloomy, but inside the lobby of the Cole, the mood was upbeat and cheery.
Brought to Richmond County by Sharon Nichols, this is the 4th year for the event. When asked what started LDO, Sharon said she “was looking for a new event for Richmond County, a home and garden show.” She had trouble establishing a feasible date because “everybody has a home and garden show”; therefore, a different type of event was in order. Thus, the Ladies’ Day Out event was born.
The vendors have been a mixture of returnees and new arrivals to the show each year and, like the attendees, come primarily from Richmond County. There are some from surrounding counties as well; one vendor in this year’s show drove in from High Point.
Crystal Hyatt of Laurinburg brought her hand crafted jewelry. She describes it as “wearable art” and uses high quality metals and all natural stones in her wrapped pieces. She is a frequent vendor in Richmond County, participating also in the Seaboard Festival and Christmas on the Square.
Lily Pittman brought her fanciful but practical quilted crafts to the show. These items can be used as hot or cold packs to ease aches and pains. Lily uses cotton cloth on the bottom to “grab” on to a sore shoulder and quilted on the top to retain heat longer. These unique packs are crafted so as to resemble owls, frogs or turtles. Lily is also from Laurinburg and has also participated in the Seaboard Festival and Christmas on the Square.
Allison Story was promoting Young Living essential oils. She uses them herself and, perhaps surprisingly, finds practical applications for their use on her cat and dog as well. Allison states that her favorite of all of the oil blends marketed by Young Living is the “Thieves” concoction. A description on the company website reads: “With the benefits of Thieves oil including cleaning power and an irresistibly spicy scent, Young Living offers it as an essential oil blend and as an important ingredient in a full range of home cleaning and personal care products, from dish soap to toothpaste. Possibly our most versatile and beloved blend, Thieves products replace harsh chemicals with pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils and other naturally derived ingredients.”
All in all the day was an event showcasing unique products in an inviting atmosphere and I am already looking forward to next year’s show!
Article contributed by Amy Guinn.
