May 11, 2007

Market has feminine touchBy Deborah GatesDelmarvaNow.com

Crisfield — Women in business add a feminine touch at a Mother’s Day-themed MacTavish’s Olde Towne Market at the “Olde Garage” on Saturday.

The first of six markets planned for the year is a marketing strategy of the Crisfield business community to lure shoppers to the waterfront town economically beaten by a diminishing seafood industry and other corporate closeouts.

Organizers also hope to expose budding and surviving businesses as Crisfield transitions as a maritime destination on the Lower Shore that welcomes tourists for a summer busy season officially launching within weeks, said Jenny Tawes, an organizer whose family owns Tawes Brothers Oil Co. Inc.

A concerted effort was made to involve women for the Mother’s Day event, adding a softer touch as shoppers select Mother’s Day gifts from a variety of homemade crafts or edible items, she said.

“I wouldn’t say that most businesses around town are female businesses; there are a lot of husband-and-wife teams,” Tawes said. “We did try to keep this feminine — it’s Mother’s Day weekend, and a lot of new businesses are run by women.”

Debbi Jankowski, who in November opened Debbi’s Chocolate & Gift Shop on West Main, is among 26 female vendors, or 75 percent of the retailers.

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