Love was in the air at the Amazonia Community Building & Town Hall on Sunday as local small business owners gathered to sell unique gifts for Valentine’s Day.
The Spread the Love Vendor Fair was created by the Amazonia Betterment Committee.
“It’s just local entrepreneurs, business people who sell homemade gifts or have a business of their own that they want to sell to the public,” Audrey Wells, the co-chair of the Amazonia Betterment Committee, said. “We’re advertising it as to find your special someone a special gift, so spreading the love with the local entrepreneurs and business people of our area.”
Items featured at the event ranged from “nature-inspired” jewelry to wooden signs and dog food.
One of the vendors at Sunday’s event was Chris Strom, who sold 100% homemade pimento cheese at his booth for the small business he runs with his wife, Chris & Sarah’s Tasty Things.
Strom said his wife’s specialty is making baked goods such as shortbread cookies.
“We like coming to these events. Normally, we do it together, Strom said, explaining his wife was unable to attend Sunday. (We like) meeting the people, making new customers, making new friends and just having a good time.”
Wells said there was a variety of vendors at the event, something organizers strived to have to offer as many gift options as possible.
“There’s a lot of people who sell cups in today’s market, so that (kind of vendor) did get limited,” she said. “Once you walk in a building and there’s five cup vendors, it gets overwhelming with cups. We limit that one, but that’s about it.”
Wells said the Amazonia Betterment Committee has been around only since last June.
“So (we are) very fresh and new,” she said. “This is our third vendor event.”
Wells said an upcoming event is the group’s Summer Kick-Off, which will be a “field day” aimed towards children but that also will have some adult activities as well.