we won't let 2020 stop us.
a message from our chair, marissa:
In the early 2000s, I had a side hustle called Rissylyn (my nickname and my middle, combined). Pre-social media and pre-kids. I made handmade, customized, personalized picture frames. High-end decoupage, sparkly and gemmed - my frames were coveted for baby, bridal shower, and wedding party. In those days, my "Instagram feed" was me, my mom, several heavy suitcases and custom business cards at trunk shows and shopping events all over NYC and the Tri-State area. And then, I had my girls and started a staffing firm. Whoops!
I casually made gifts for years and still do - but the shows, the website, the focus had to come to an end. It was a super special time in my life, as it set me up to work closely with small businesses in my career and in turn, inspired me to write my children's book series and coach others to invest in their side hustles in my day job. To this day, I always have loved shopping a holiday market, specialty store, or street fair. I ran a few when we moved to Hoboken with the help of my sister, Jamie, because it just came naturally to me and I knew so many vendors and small businesses who would want to participate.
Fast forward to 2016, when my family and I moved to suburbia. The first holiday season rolled around and I thought, "wait...they don’t have an annual holiday shop down here?" I did some research, found that nothing was consistent or successful, and despite every effort to try to quiet those voices in my head, here we are. Our 4th Annual CBI Holiday Boutique is upon us. And we certainly are not going to let 2020 damper our plans and/or hurt our small business vendors.
As I often say: time is currency. When (and where) you spend yours, make it count. It's an honor and privilege to give back to our community in a way that is fun, engaging, and positive. The volunteers who have worked with me to pull off this successful event each year are rockstars and pillars in our community here in Monmouth County. Their hard work and our collective vision turned those little whispers from 2016 into the number one shopping event in our area for several years in a row. Not to mention we are raising money for our beloved pre-school (Gan) and religious school (SHMA).
Cheers to year 4. Even though it will be virtual, it will be a terrific showcase of incredible brands/boutiques/e-commerce platforms. Thank you in advance for helping us make magic doing what we do best this November. We will bring joy to our families during a very different holiday season, support local business, and sprinkle some of our fairy dust on our small but mighty CBI community.
#shopandbuy4cbi #shopfromhome2020
xoxo,
In the early 2000s, I had a side hustle called Rissylyn (my nickname and my middle, combined). Pre-social media and pre-kids. I made handmade, customized, personalized picture frames. High-end decoupage, sparkly and gemmed - my frames were coveted for baby, bridal shower, and wedding party. In those days, my "Instagram feed" was me, my mom, several heavy suitcases and custom business cards at trunk shows and shopping events all over NYC and the Tri-State area. And then, I had my girls and started a staffing firm. Whoops!
I casually made gifts for years and still do - but the shows, the website, the focus had to come to an end. It was a super special time in my life, as it set me up to work closely with small businesses in my career and in turn, inspired me to write my children's book series and coach others to invest in their side hustles in my day job. To this day, I always have loved shopping a holiday market, specialty store, or street fair. I ran a few when we moved to Hoboken with the help of my sister, Jamie, because it just came naturally to me and I knew so many vendors and small businesses who would want to participate.
Fast forward to 2016, when my family and I moved to suburbia. The first holiday season rolled around and I thought, "wait...they don’t have an annual holiday shop down here?" I did some research, found that nothing was consistent or successful, and despite every effort to try to quiet those voices in my head, here we are. Our 4th Annual CBI Holiday Boutique is upon us. And we certainly are not going to let 2020 damper our plans and/or hurt our small business vendors.
As I often say: time is currency. When (and where) you spend yours, make it count. It's an honor and privilege to give back to our community in a way that is fun, engaging, and positive. The volunteers who have worked with me to pull off this successful event each year are rockstars and pillars in our community here in Monmouth County. Their hard work and our collective vision turned those little whispers from 2016 into the number one shopping event in our area for several years in a row. Not to mention we are raising money for our beloved pre-school (Gan) and religious school (SHMA).
Cheers to year 4. Even though it will be virtual, it will be a terrific showcase of incredible brands/boutiques/e-commerce platforms. Thank you in advance for helping us make magic doing what we do best this November. We will bring joy to our families during a very different holiday season, support local business, and sprinkle some of our fairy dust on our small but mighty CBI community.
#shopandbuy4cbi #shopfromhome2020
xoxo,
