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the Lockport Legend | April 26, 2018 | 11
Publisher’s Lady - A Women’s Expo is biggest yet
Rochelle McAuliffe
Freelance Reporter
It was all about girl power
at the Tinley Park Convention
Center the morning of
Saturday, April 21.
Lady - A Women’s Expo,
presented by 22nd Century
Media and Planet Fitness,
returned to the Tinley Park
Convention Center for its
fifth year, with more than
110 vendors and 1,000 attendees.
It marked the biggest
incarnation of the event
yet.
From cooking demonstrations
to fashion boutiques
to insurance agents, this
expo had something for every
woman. Whether you
were looking to kick back
and relax for the day, or to
get more active, there was
something for everyone.
Heather Warthen, chief
events officer at 22nd Century
Media, said her favorite
part about the expo is
seeing the generations of
women come together at the
expo.
“I love seeing that we
get grandmas, moms and
granddaughters coming out
and enjoying the day together,”
Warthen said. “We
want them to spend time
together and bond over being
a woman over the fashion,
the beauty, the health
screenings ... everything we
have to offer here today.”
The event was free, and
Warthen explained that was
to help the vendors to succeed
by having attendees
spend their money with
them instead. And the fact
that 22nd Century Media
publishes seven newspapers
in the area helps everyone
involved.
“Not only are the newspapers
well-read, but it’s a
great advertising vehicle for
the expo, as well,” she said.
“People will come up, and
when we asked them how
Tom Grotovsky, of Unforgettable Chef, does a cooking
demonstration.
they heard about the expo,
I would say anywhere between
60-70 percent of them
heard about it from the paper.
It makes sense, because
we’re the community newspaper,
and we’re a staple in
the community to bring the
community together for an
event like this.”
Donna Miller, of Fred
Astaire Dance, wanted to
reach people who were interested
in taking dance lessons.
“A lot of them don’t even
know we’re over there, so
this is a good for them to
get to know us,” Miller said.
With her studio’s location
in Mokena, she found out
about the expo through The
Mokena Messenger. She
said she was impressed by
the line of people waiting.
“First hour-and-a-half
was just a rush of people;
it’s really good, well-attended,”
Miller commented.
For attendee Jennifer
Wruk, her visit to the expo
was not planned, but she
made it work to her advantage.
“I usually work Saturdays,
but I had the day off,”
Wruk said. “So, I was looking
for something fun and
interesting to do, and they
have lots of nice booths that
I was interested in. So, I had
lots of interest in coming.”
While this was not Three
B’s Boutique owner Pamela
Hudson’s first Lady expo,
it was her first in their new
mobile boutique, which is
a converted truck. Hudson
was a vendor at last year’s
expo, selling American
or woman-made jewelry,
leather and textiles.
As a female entrepreneur,
Hudson said she understands
what hardship is
after being forced out of the
corporate world 17 years
ago, but her story and the
story of Three B’s is one of
rebirth.
“I think it’s important to
show people you can start
over,” said Hudson. “You
can start over, and it doesn’t
Danni Allen (left) speaks with Adriel Neakarse about Planet Fitness Saturday, April 21,
during Lady - A Women’s Expo at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Photos by Adam
Jomant/22nd Century Media
Michelle Schaper leads a yoga demonstration at publisher 22nd Century Media’s Lady - A
Women’s Expo.
matter when, how. It doesn’t
matter how old you are. It
doesn’t matter. If you have an
interest and a dream, I think
you can make it come true.”
Warthen added, “It’s pretty
amazing to put 110 vendors
in a room – some of them
women-owned businesses,
some of them locally-owned
businesses, and some of
them are businesses you’ve
probably never even heard
of, but you’d love to know
about. It’s great for us.”