Sabrina’s Bridal and Formal Wear, along with 60 other vendors involved, packed the Sandburg Mall with brides-to-be, their families and spectators Sunday for the Sabrina’s Bridal & Prom Expo.
The expo, now in its sixth year, according to Deborah Sloan with Sabrina’s, included everything from bakeries and florists to travel agencies and party DJ services, with a runway for modeling dresses at the center of attention.
“This really helps us with getting dresses out,” Sabrina Stroops with Sabrina’s said. “But really we do this to help all the businesses involved.”
Stroops said that when all of the involved businesses pool their efforts, it makes for a great event for Galesburg and the businesses themselves, who get opportunities for networking.
“I’ve really enjoyed talking to the other vendors,” Stroops said, “since a lot of us refer business back and forth.”
For many of the involved vendors, the event was really about having opportunities to bring in some business and talking to customers in a personal way, not through traditional advertising. Mike Rodgers, owner of Galesburg Flower Company, said he will get between 50 and 60 bookings in the next two weeks, just because of the expo.
“This helps capture everyone that is interested in our service,” said Rodgers, who has been a vendor at the expo for five years,. “Most of the businesses here are local, and some folks need the extra boost. And I like to talk to the people, like the mamas, who are worried about their pocketbooks, and the brides, who want everything to look great. We get to hear the different concerns.”
The expo also was used by some new businesses trying to gain some publicity. Sarah Peterson, owner of Celebration Essentials, has been in business for seven months, and she was a first-time vendor at the expo.
“This has been busy, but good. It’s good to get my name out,” Peterson said. “I’m definitely meeting more people here than I would just by word of mouth, which is how I’ve been advertising.
The event served as an opportunity for brides-to-be to get some good ideas for their weddings. Megan Moore of Knoxville has her big day set for July 21, and while she has some of the big-picture planning out of the way, she was trying to hash out some of the details at the expo.
Sabrina’s Bridal and Formal Wear, along with 60 other vendors involved, packed the Sandburg Mall with brides-to-be, their families and spectators Sunday for the Sabrina’s Bridal & Prom Expo.
The expo, now in its sixth year, according to Deborah Sloan with Sabrina’s, included everything from bakeries and florists to travel agencies and party DJ services, with a runway for modeling dresses at the center of attention.
“This really helps us with getting dresses out,” Sabrina Stroops with Sabrina’s said. “But really we do this to help all the businesses involved.”
Stroops said that when all of the involved businesses pool their efforts, it makes for a great event for Galesburg and the businesses themselves, who get opportunities for networking.
“I’ve really enjoyed talking to the other vendors,” Stroops said, “since a lot of us refer business back and forth.”
For many of the involved vendors, the event was really about having opportunities to bring in some business and talking to customers in a personal way, not through traditional advertising. Mike Rodgers, owner of Galesburg Flower Company, said he will get between 50 and 60 bookings in the next two weeks, just because of the expo.
“This helps capture everyone that is interested in our service,” said Rodgers, who has been a vendor at the expo for five years,. “Most of the businesses here are local, and some folks need the extra boost. And I like to talk to the people, like the mamas, who are worried about their pocketbooks, and the brides, who want everything to look great. We get to hear the different concerns.”
The expo also was used by some new businesses trying to gain some publicity. Sarah Peterson, owner of Celebration Essentials, has been in business for seven months, and she was a first-time vendor at the expo.
“This has been busy, but good. It’s good to get my name out,” Peterson said. “I’m definitely meeting more people here than I would just by word of mouth, which is how I’ve been advertising.
The event served as an opportunity for brides-to-be to get some good ideas for their weddings. Megan Moore of Knoxville has her big day set for July 21, and while she has some of the big-picture planning out of the way, she was trying to hash out some of the details at the expo.
“This is going well. I found some good ideas that I really enjoy,” Moore said. “I need to focus on the details now, like decorations and flowers. Coming here and getting more ideas gives me a good variety of choices.”
The center of attention at the expo, though, was the runway and fashion show — the dresses. Sloan said her focus is on the kids, and she will often give discounts up to $100 so girls can have the dress they want.
“And I like giving children that would usually not be able to model a chance to do so,” Sloan said.
Stroops said she will always enjoy the fashion show, which is a big focus for her.
“I mean, how could you not love seeing models wearing your dresses?” she said.
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