08/16/2026
One of my favorite parts of doing events has absolutely nothing to do with the photo booth, it’s meeting all of the other small businesses that show up.
At the Back to the 90’s event, hosted by WV Fitness 24 to help raise money for the Harrison County Humane Society and Paws and Purpose Rescue I spent some time walking around, handing out flyers for the fundraiser, talking to vendors and, apparently, shopping. 😂 I met so many genuinely nice and interesting people that I wanted to give some of them a little love.
😂 Dr. Damien White — from Trinity Chiropractic at The Wellness Lab
Probably the person who was the MOST annoyed with me by the end of the night.
I kept giving him a hard time for being “shy” and not wandering around talking to everyone, so naturally I took it upon myself to help. 😂
I started finding vendors who spend hours hunched over tables painting, crocheting and making things and sending them his direction.
He was a very good sport about my completely unsolicited marketing assistance.
He was there with someone from Integrative Wellness, and they were both incredibly easy to talk to. I really liked their whole-person approach instead of looking at one isolated issue, and they had some REALLY good protein bars, so obviously that also helped their case. 😂
💈 ** Creations**
Now THIS one is incredibly cool. Wes is **West Virginia’s first Sensory-Safe certified barber**, and he offers haircuts specifically designed to accommodate people who may struggle with a traditional barbershop environment. He even travels with specialized equipment, including his chair and tools. I had no idea something like this was available locally, and it is such a needed service.
🕯️ Serene Illumina
Among other non toxic items, she has hand poured soy, non-toxic candles, which immediately got my attention because I am VERY conscious about what I use around my pets. The owner actually started creating her products because of the love she has for her own dog, which obviously made me love the story even more. Also, slight issue: some of these candles are almost too pretty to burn. So that’s your own dilemma to work through. 😂
💃 Vertical Vixens Pole Fitness LLC
Pole exercise! Will this old lady personally be doing it? Probably not. 😂 But everyone was so much fun to talk to, and I really enjoyed interacting with them. It’s definitely one of those things that makes you stop and say, “Wait...tell me more about this.”
💅 Rose Royale Nails by Haven
Reusable press-on nails that use adhesive tabs instead of glue. Cute, easy, reusable, and it’s a mama building something of her own and making some extra money. You have to love that. ❤️
🧶 Chain One Crafting
I SPECIFICALLY bought two crocheted dish scrubbers, because apparently I have reached the stage of life where an adorable dish scrubber that is NOT a gross sponge excites me. 😂 She had so many cute things, but I love anything that manages to be both useful AND cute.
✨ Hair by Kierra
I personally don’t do jewelry, but she had really cute pieces and was so nice to talk to. Honestly, that became a theme for the night, everyone was just incredibly nice.
🛍️ Peep’s Boujee Creations
Another vendor I actually purchased from! I grabbed some car accessories that I’ll be sharing later, but they also do custom tumblers, shirts and a bunch of other fun items. Definitely one to check out if you like personalized stuff.
🥤 Jess McIntyre / Shaklee https://www.instagram.com/wvwellness.shaklee/
Jess had me try one of Shaklee’s electrolyte drink mixes, and I was actually really impressed with it. Another person I probably never would have met if I hadn’t gotten out from behind my booth and started wandering around talking to people.
💪 Devon Gallien — Orion Supplements
https://www.instagram.com/devongallien/
Super cool, incredibly easy to talk to, and had some REALLY good protein powder. Also, please appreciate their packaging if you come across their products because it made me laugh. 😂
🌙 Midnight Magnolia Co
Dirty sodas, snow cones, sweets and a business with a whole lot more behind it.
Their **Magnolia Strong** community kindness initiative includes things like a Pay It Forward Board, care boxes for people serving the community, nominating someone who could use a surprise pick-me-up and other little ways of helping people simply because they can.
Their whole message is basically neighbors helping neighbors, and I absolutely love that. Really sweet people with a really sweet mission.
I also got to talk with several other vendors, including a landscape designer, a children’s “sip and paint” style artist and a really cute boutique.
And honestly, THAT is one of the best parts of events like this.
You never know what the person at the table beside you makes, what service they offer, why they started their business, what they know, or who they might be able to help until you actually walk over and talk to them.
Small business isn’t just about standing behind your own table trying to sell your own stuff.
It’s making connections.
It’s referring people.
It’s buying the crocheted dish scrubber. 😂
It’s sending the woman who has been hunched over painting for six hours to the chiropractor.
It’s finding out someone created an entire candle business because they loved their dog.
It’s discovering a sensory-safe barber you didn’t even know existed.
It’s learning about businesses, services and people in your own community that you can now recommend to somebody else.
I went to the Back to the 90’s event to provide a photo booth and help promote a fundraiser.
I left with a few purchases, a lot of conversations, some new connections and a whole list of local businesses I now know a little more about.
**Go talk to the vendors. Support the small businesses. Ask them what they do and why they do it.**
You might be surprised by who you meet. ❤️
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