Hey y’all! Last Thursday night I was honored to attend a special sneak peek blogger meet-up party at the Raleigh Southern Women’s Show. First of all, I want to extend a huge thank you to Bolt Public Relations for the invite and for hosting a stellar event. I had the opportunity to network with other bloggers, which was honestly my favorite part. I also enjoyed touring the exhibit hall, and getting a super sweet “swag bag” filled with goodies from some of the show sponsors.
The Southern Women’s Show
The Raleigh Southern Women’s Show was at the NC State Fairgrounds last Friday through Sunday (April 13-15). Most everything was set up on Thursday night, so we got a good feel for the layout and exhibits, even though we couldn’t actually do much shopping. I had never been to the Southern Women’s Show before, so this was a totally new experience for me. Basically it was like a mall under one roof. (Well actually two, since the Raleigh show contained exhibits in two adjacent buildings). The “stores” were booths set up throughout the exhibit hall. Some of them were large regional or national brands, such as Belk and Kendra Scott. Others represented local or state companies, like Carolina Kettle. During our tour, we got to stop at a few booths and learn a little more about the company or organization.
First Stop: InterAct “Thriftique
InterAct is an organization in Wake County that helps victims and survivors of domestic violence. They operate a “thriftique” called “Pass It On.” All of the items in store at Pass It On are donations, and many are high-end designer brands. Anyone can shop at Pass It On to get great clothes at affordable prices. Around 90 cents of every dollar you spend at Pass It On goes directly back to support the work of InterAct. One of the coolest things is that domestic violence survivors and their families who receive help through InterAct are able to shop at Pass It On at no cost. Pass It On was actually open for shopping during our tour. They had some great Lilly Pulitzer pieces, but none in my size so I had to pass! I definitely want to head to Raleigh in the future and check out the store. You can click here for more info about InterAct and Pass It On!
Second Stop: Kendra Scott
I was super excited about stopping at the Kendra Scott booth. The Community Relations & Events coordinator from the Kendra Scott North Hills store gave us a preview of the Summer 2018 collection. I am a new Kendra Scott fan, so this made me really happy. We also got a Summer 2018 catalog and a complimentary Kendra Scott nail lacquer!
Third Stop: Carolina Kettle
We got to visit the Carolina Kettle booth on our third stop. Carolina Kettle chips are a product of “1 in 6 Snacks.” The inspiration for “1 in 6 Snacks” came when company founder learned that 1 in 6 Americans do not know where their next meal will come from. This is another company with a commitment to give back. For every two ounce bag of Carolina Kettle chips sold, they donate five cents to a local food bank. For every five ounce bag sold, they donate 10 cents. At this booth, we got a two ounce bag of Dill Pickle flavor Carolina Kettle chips. I am excited to try them. Kettle cooked potato chips are so much better than regular potato chips in my opinion! For more info about Carolina Kettle and their mission, click here.
Meeting Other Bloggers
As I mentioned in the intro, my favorite part about this event was getting to connect with other bloggers. I snapped pics with Savannah of The Perfected Mess, and Kayleigh of The Resplondent Rose. I had actually already been following both of them on Instagram. Savannah even walked up to me and said she recognized me from Insta, which is cool. She also told me all about the Style Collective, a great resource for bloggers looking to grow and connect. As of this week, I am officially a Style Collective sister. (I will share more about this later). In addition, I met several other bloggers I was not already following. We were sitting around a table eating Chick-fil-a nuggets while following one another on Instagram. It was actually pretty funny. One of my favorite things about blogging is how supportive every is of one another. We are all unique with our own story to tell, so community over competition is totally the name of the game!
Me & Kayleigh of The Resplendent Rose
Me & Savannah of The Perfected Mess
Side note-My dress is actually the same Lauren James dress featured in this photo shoot and in my Easter post, in yet one more color!
Swag Bag
Last but not least, all the bloggers in attendance got a “Swag Bag” filled with goodies from some of the Southern Women’s Show exhibitors and sponsors. Thanks to Bolt PR for putting these together and giving them out. Here are some of the lovely things I got.
A glance at most of the contents of the Swag Bag, plus the freebies I picked up at the booths.
I really love the burlap print from Dogwood Depot and can’t wait to frame and put on my wall.
I was really excited some Durham Toffee was included in the Swag Bag. Also, I’m normally not a fan of flavored K-cups, but this pecan praline from Community Coffee is sooo good! I’m looking forward to trying this Mrs. Ruth’s Jam as well!
Overall, I had a super fun evening connecting with other bloggers and learning more about the Southern Women’s Show and everything it has to offer. I wasn’t able to go back during the normal show hours this year, but I’m hoping to make it next year. I highly recommend the show to anyone. It’s the perfect “girls’ day out” activity!
Have you ever been to the Southern Women’s Show in Raleigh or another city?
-xoxo Liz
