An Airstream trailer beauty bar, a garter that doubles as a purse, and a local pair of sisters making a name for themselves in the world of vintage furniture.
IF YOU GO
Women's Expo and Bridal Show
When: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 14-15, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 16
Where: DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave. NW
Tickets: $9 for adults, $7 for ages 6-14 at the door. Advance tickets are available at Meijer stores.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Each year the Women's Expo from Kohler Expos brings hundreds of women-focused vendors, exhibits, seminars and guest speakers to the DeVos Place for a three-day event.
Products, information, and services for health, fashion, travel, fitness, beauty, food, home decor, education, finances, cooking, shopping and more will be included at the event March 14-16, along with the chance to win prizes, including a Caribbean vacation.
Here are a few must-see exhibits at this year’s expo. From a garter that doubles as a purse to a traveling Airstream trailer beauty bar to a local home décor and vintage store, take a look at these three companies when you attend the expo.
The GoGirlyGarter by Andy Paige
Andy Paige knows how to pull off a high-end look without spending top dollar. She’s made a living out of it.
“My forte is dressing people for media and makeovers,” she said in a phone interview. “But when you’re dealing with TV, it’s always on a tight budget. What I’m best at is creating a luxurious look but doing it on a shoestring budget.”
Andy Paige is one of the headlining speakers at the 2014 Women's Expo in DeVos Place from March 14-16. She is promoting her invention, the GirlyGoGarter.Courtesy photo
Paige, who was the lead hair and makeup designer for the final two seasons of Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” takes inspiration from her family.
“Grandma was an expert seamstress and mother has a great eye for fashion,” she said. “While we were raised on government cheese and collard greens on a dirt road in Alabama, it was always a source of pride that we always looked nice.”
“Fashion is the ultimate equalizer,” she said. “If you can speak well and look the part, no one has to know you just farmed five acres.”
Besides offering tips and guidance on how to look great for less, Paige will be on hand to promote her invention, GirlyGoGarter, a patented hands-free purse worn discreetly as a garter.
Paige said she worked for five years to develop the product that can hold everything from lip gloss, ID, car keys and even a smartphone without falling down your leg.
“That’s the most common question I get, ‘Does it work?’” Paige said. “One of my best friends just got married recently and there were a lot of us wearing them at the reception. We danced for five hours. You can run, jump and it stays in place.”
See for yourself at the Women’s Expo. Paige will have a booth at the event and will speak on the main stage all three days. Complete schedule: kohlerexpo.com
Votre Vu “Vu Bar” Airstream Trailer
Jean Louise Lilly is the director of product development and marketing for Votre Vu, a line of skin care products and makeup produced in France.
“Along with wine and champagne, skin care is one of the most important products from France,” Lilly said. “The level of stewardship and attention to the quality of ingredients is set to a high standard. Our laboratory is a family-owned business for over 85 years that offers us professional grade products you would find at an aesthetician or dermatologist’s office.”
But standing out in the crowded world of cosmetics can be a challenge.The "Vu Bar" Airstream trailer from Votre Vu is a rolling beauty bar and retail space for the makeup and skin care company. See it at the 2014 Women's Expo in DeVos Place on March 14-16.Courtesy Photo
Enter the “Vu Bar,” an Airstream trailer redesigned to be a mobile beauty bar and retail space.
It’s the perfect venue for Votre Vu’s goal of being “approachable and fun.”
The Vu Bar has a blog where you can follow the adventures of the trailer from the Hamptons to San Diego and everywhere in between.
“It really brings in all ages and is a magnet for men,” Lilly said. “It’s one of those places that men who get dragged along don’t mind visiting. And we have a line of men’s products as well.”
Shizzle Design Sisters
“It’s in our blood,” Shelly Andrade said about why she and her sister Cathy renovate furniture. Their father who worked at Steelcase upholstered furniture as a side job.
“We grew up with a very humble lifestyle, but were taught to take care of what we had," she said. "We have an appreciation for older things and feel like we can make them new again.”
Shizzle Design uses chalk and clay mineral paint to transform antiques into new pieces, Andrade said. They teach workshops, sell paints and furniture.
Over the past three years, the sisters' business has expanded into its first commercial space at 2018 Chicago Drive in Jenison. With popular furniture bloggers and HGVT hosts spreading the news about the duo on social media, the sisters have found themselves busier than ever before.
“We’ve never done anything of this size,” Andrade said of the Women’s Expo appearance.
“We are not just selling furniture,” Andrade said. “We can show you how to do this."
The expo runs in conjunction with Kohler Expo's Spring Bridal Show also held at DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave. NW. Tickets to the events are interchangeable. Expo hours are 10 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 14-15, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 16. Tickets prices are $9 for adults, $7 for ages 6-14 at the door; children 5 and younger are free. Advance tickets are available for a discount at Meijer stores.
Todd Chance is the West Michigan Entertainment Concierge for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at tchance@mlive.com or follow him on Facebook , Twitter, Google Plus