West Coast Women’s Show: On Now

Even after all of the free samples at the West Coast Women’s Show — everything from Turkish coffee and olive oil to hummus and fruitcake, I couldn’t resist crunching on some pumpkin, cranberry Monkey Toast when I got home along with a sweet spoonful of Campbell’s Gold Honey. The West Coast Women’s Show was absolutely hopping at TRADEX in Abbotsford during its first full day, here are just a few of the show’s highlights for me:

Gluten-Free, Grills, and Glamour

To start, TRADEX is a giant venue (twice as big as I thought when I first walked through the doors) and it was filled with women yesterday who were shopping, enjoying a martini and a fashion show, and getting their nails done. The biggest crowds at first glance were at the gluten free product stands, the grill appliance demos (that smelled amazing, cooking up zucchini, chicken, and sausages) and at glamour booths where attendees could get henna on their hands, glitter eye shadow, or gel nail polish.

Chef Jeff Moore from Restaurant 62 in Abbotsford on the Kitchen Theatre Stage

Shopping

There was really so much to see and do that I went through twice, once along and once with a friend, and I still don’t think I got to everything after 2 hours. We did a quick stop at the fashion show and sipped some Skinny Grape wine samples as Hall of Flame calendar firefighters signed autographs, we heard all of the pitches from the stone cookware booth and Norwex cloth ladies, and made some great purchases. I bought the aforementioned Monkey Toast, made by a local couple in Horseshoe Bay, some Campbell’s Gold Honey that I visited on a Circle Farm Tour this summer, and I was almost sold on some hot packs, a purse with designs by Corrine Hunt, and some loose-leaf teas.

The Sevenoaks Shopping Centre fashion show.

Saturday and Sunday

There are still two full days of the West Coast Women’s Show packed with kitchen demos, health and wellness, samples, shopping, and much more. The show will run Saturday, October 26, 2013 from 10:00am to 9:00pm; Sunday, October 27, 2013 from 11:00am to 5:30pm at TRADEX in Abbotsford. Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for seniors ($7 on Friday from 1:00pm to 4:00pm), $9 for youth (13-17), $4 for children (6-12), and children 5 and under are free. Ticket prices include GST. Ticket sales are cash only at the gate at TRADEX.

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