By Karah Wilson

karah@southerntorch.com

RAINSVILLE, Ala.—Rainsville shoppers took to the Bevill Enrichment Center this past Sat. to get some early Christmas shopping in. The 5th annual Merry Market was held from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. with more than 30 vendors set up selling their merchandise.

April Parnell started the market in 2011. That year there around 100 shoppers. “We had a great turnout this year! We had over 250 people to come through,” Parnell said. “I have heard nothing but great feedback from both customers and vendors. I have had several vendors say this is the best and most organized event they have participated in with lots of advertising and lots of space!” Parnell is also a Mary Kay representative who had a booth set up at the market. “I had lots of customers saying how much they enjoyed it and was able to get lots of Christmas shopping done, get ideas, and loved the cute stocking stuffers that were available.” If you would like to contact April about setting up as a vendor next year or to learn more about Mary Kay, her email is merrymarketevent@gmail.com

One of the vendors that was set up was Boresha. Representative Angela Gilbert was set up with samples of her company’s coffee and tea. “This is my third year to be involved in the market. It is a great tool to keep my product and my name recognizable! I believe I met a larger number of people from a greater geographical distance this year! That would make me assume that word of mouth marketing and intentional marketing is getting to a broader area!” Gilbert said. “Everyone loved Boresha Lean Coffee! It has a smooth flavor and is less acidic than ‘other’ coffees. And our Tea is so very refreshing. A great healthy alternative to sodas! Many people decided to make a healthy change and invest in themselves.” Gilbert’s husband, Scott, is also involved with Boresha. “My husband and I have been outspoken advocates of healthy living and healthy choices for almost 20 years now. We are health practitioners and we chose to use Boresha Coffee and Tea as tools to help people with weight management and overall body health and energy. We chose Boresha because the company took a beverage that most people drink and traded the cons for pros! Caffeine without the problems associated with it!” Gilbert said. “Boresha Coffee and Tea have a lower glycemic load and supports weight loss and lean body mass, as well as a healthy glucose metabolism. Yes, both are caffeinated, so you get the energy you are desiring and without spiking blood sugar!  Our coffee is made with Organic, Fair Trade AA Arabica ground coffee beans in a state of the art infrared roasting system that produces a smooth, great tasting coffee.” You can contact Angela at 205-612-7061 or at bfitbhealthy@gmail.com.

Another popular vendor amongst the customers was JewelScent. Jennifer Childress, the Northeast Alabama representative, was set up with her assortment of candles and wax tarts.

This was JewelScent’s first Merry Market. “Not many of the locals in Rainsville had actually heard of JewelScent before, so it was fun to tell everyone about the company and provide them a free sample and let them sniff and touch the products!  Everyone was curious and lots of laughs were had once they figured out that there really was rings inside ALL the products! We had fun and will most likely be back next year!” Childress said. JewelScent has Soy candles and Soy Wax Tarts, Aromatherapy Fragrance beads, Pure Cane Sugar scrubs, and Moroccan argan oil soaps all with a hidden ring inside! You get to choose your ring size when you order (sizes 5 – 10). The value of the rings are between $10 - $7,500! The products are amazing and the rings are like the cracker jacks prize inside! JewelScent is proud to be created and operated it the USA and hand-poured by local craftsmen.” Childress said. “I had kind of lost myself in the craziness of being mom, wife, and workaholic!  So, one day while researching a fundraiser for one of my three boys karate tournaments, I found JewelScent and a lightbulb went off in my head; this is just what I needed to find myself again! Two years later, I know that I made the right choice; now I have a team of over 100 empowered women all over the united states and while the company is small it is growing by leaps and bounds daily. I have gotten to take my family to the beach and to Disneyworld with my commissions and I personally will be heading to California for our “GEM” Conference in January!” To contact Jennifer, call 256-509-2517 or email childressj@uab.edu. You can also go to her representative website at www.jewelscent.com/jenniferc.

Doorhangers are always a popular home item, which is why Lindsay Hughes’ booth, Crafted with Love, was so popular. It was also Hughes’ first Merry Market. “The customers were very interested in the doorhangers as well as the ornaments I had at Merry Market. I also received several ordered for new designs. This was my 1st year attending Merry Market, but I really enjoyed it,” Hughes said. “I paint any kind of design you can think of. All of my doorhanger are made of wood and hand painted,” Hughes said. “I first started out when I made a wooden monogram board for a cousin that was getting married as a gift. At the shower, everyone loved it and said I should start making them to sale, so I sold a couple as well as continue to make for gifts. I had noticed how big of a trend the doorhangers were becoming so I ordered a few cutouts to paint just to see how well the would sale. The more people that saw them the more orders I have got. I still do this just as a hobby, since I do work full time. I work on painting them at night and on weekends in my spare time but truly enjoy it.”  Crafted with Love is locally owned and located in Section. To contact Lindsay, go to her Facebook page “Crafted with Love” or call 256-601-1693.

“This year I feel that all the vendors came together helping me to advertise and promote this event and with a positive attitude, and in return we seen it pay off. I really enjoy seeing other businesses succeed. I am still receiving feedback and looking to make positive changes to continue to grow this event in the years to come. I already have a list of people interested in setting up next year and who knows maybe we will look into having Santa pictures for kids and more vendors for the men!” Parnell said.