‘Small but sweet show’ successful

MARYSVILLE — Pam Braegelmann pored over Sheryl Becker's assortment of pastel-hued pepper sprays, stun-guns and automobile emergency supplies.

MARYSVILLE — Pam Braegelmann pored over Sheryl Becker’s assortment of pastel-hued pepper sprays, stun-guns and automobile emergency supplies.

“The company is called ‘Damsel in Defense’ because we carry our own knights in shining armor,” said Becker, one of the 20 vendors at the Ken Baxter Community Center’s eighth annual order-up gift show.

While many vendors and shoppers hailed from Marysville, Arlington, Lakewood and Everett, others came from Mill Creek, Bothell, Kenmore and Duvall, and included names ranging from Usborne Books to Mary Kay Cosmetics.

“It’s a small but sweet show,” center coordinator Maryke Burgess said. “The vendors enjoy being able to network with each other, and our shoppers appreciate the quality products they have to offer.”

Burgess reported that Doterra Essential Oils and Pampered Chef kitchenware are always popular, but noted that Juice Plus and Living Fresh put in their first appearances at the show this year. Living Fresh is a commercial bedding company, while Juice Plus offers fruit, vegetable and grain supplements, in the form of pills, milkshakes and other edibles that condense the minimum daily allowances of each into smaller, more convenient servings.

The community center is already gearing up to host the holiday crafts show portion of “Merrysville for the Holidays” on Saturday, Dec. 5, but in the meantime, Burgess is glad to help showcase local vendors of non-handcrafted goods.

“The vendors are always happy to be here, I’m always pleased with the selection they have to offer, and I’m sure our shoppers appreciate that no one is pressuring them to do product parties,” Burgess said.