It may have lacked some of the glamour and sparkle of international fashion shows in New York, London and Paris, but the catwalk on SE Pioneer Way in Oak Harbor Friday had a panache all its own.
On a carpet lined with lilies, models spent the evening strutting the latest fashions offered by downtown merchants before a healthy crowd and to the tune of live music. And to top it off, it all happened under a beautiful Whidbey Island summer sky.
“It was a perfect evening and a nice turnout,” said Jill Schacht, owner of Casual House on SE Pioneer Way.
Schacht was one of about eight clothing retailers who participated in the fashion show. It was put on in conjunction with the Downtown Merchants Association’s monthly First Friday promotional event and held in front of The Shred Shed and La Moda Rocks.
Much of SE Pioneer Way has been under construction since March. The city’s $7.7 million road project seeks to improve the downtown area with new landscaping, putting power lines underground, commissioning and installing public art, and rerouting the street in an eastbound one-way configuration.
First Friday is geared toward attracting new customers and fostering business by having participating business stay open a few hours later on the first Friday of the month.
Paired events, such as the fashion show, are encouraged as the two tend to feed off each other and boost the overall draw, according to Ron Apgar, association president and the owner of Paint Your World.
“A lot of new people wandered the new sidewalks because of the event,” Apgar said.
“We’re really happy with it,” he said. “It was a positive event.”
He estimated that about 60 to 80 people attended the fashion show. While they spent a lot of time watching models prance down the catwalk, most of whom were either regular customers or store employees, event-goers enjoyed other goodies as well.
From the sidewalk, Popsies Gourmet Popcorn & Specialty Sweet Shoppe offered ice cream, Angelo’s Caffe had barbecue, and Paint Your World had punch.
“It was pretty cool,” said Rhonda Severns, lead water utilities coordinator for Oak Harbor.
Severns worked closely with merchants to put on the fashion show, which the city helped promote. She said it was nice to have a positive event downtown in which so many people, and businesses, participated. She thanked Home Depot for donating the lilies.
“It was a lot of fun for Oak Harbor,” she said.
